CSI: NY A Second Chance at a Family
by SMackedFan
Summary: Mac Taylor's life will forever be changed from the day he meets Reed Garrett; a troubled foster kid that his late wife had given up for adoption. Humour, Heartbreak, Suspense, Drama, Angst and a hint of SMacked are a few things youll find in this AU story
1. Chapter 1

**[A Second Chance at a Family – Chapter 1]**

**Description: How would life be different for Mac and Reed if Reed didn't have the perfect adoptive family? The following is a story about exactly that. **

**With a little bit of "SMacked" along the way ;)  
- - -**

"Mac that's him! That's the kid who's been following me!" Stella shouts as we walk out onto the street. I look ahead and she points at a young boy in a hooded sweatshirt. He notices us and makes a run for it. I quickly bolt down the street, unaware of what's in store for me, and why this boy has been stalking my partner. Little did I know that this very moment would change my life as I knew it forever...

He's young and a fast runner as he darts in front of traffic, nearly getting himself struck by a car in the process. I can keep up, but barely as I too dart across the busy street. Finally I catch a break when the boy runs into a bike messenger and falls to the ground. I reach down and yank him from the ground by the back of his sweater. I push him against the brick building behind us and hold my hand on his chest to keep him still. Stella catches up and I begin to demand answers from the frightened boy I hold captive.

"Why are you following her? Huh!" I begin shouting, slightly enraged, and tired from chase. "What do you want?" I shout again as the boy flinches at the sound of my raised voice.

Stella can see the fear in the boy's face and she takes a softer approach, seeing that I am only scaring him from answering. "Who are you?" she asks softly.

"I'm Reed Garret alright!" The boy finally manages. "I just wanted to talk to you" he admits, as he hangs his head, still unable to look at Mac.

"Why?" She asks, confused.

"Are you Claire Conrad?" he asks with his voice shaking.

My heart nearly stops when I hear the name. "You mean Claire Conrad Taylor?" Stella looks at me and is in almost as much shock as I am. The young boy merely nods his head to answer my question. "She was my wife" I respond, still unaware as to what this boy wants from us. I release my grip from his chest and he takes a moment to slow his racing heart by taking a deep breath. "What do you know about Claire?" I demand.

"Nothing..." he softly remarks with a frightened expression on his face. "Just that... she's my mother."

I feel my heart sink to my stomach. I wondered if this day would ever come. Still, nothing could prepare me for this moment. As I look into the sad and curious eyes of the young man in front of me I swallow the hard lump in my through and let out a sigh as I know that what I have to tell him is going to shatter his hopes and dreams of finding his mother.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I was rough with you there, I didn't hurt you did I?" I ask, genuinely concerned.

The boy only shakes his head. I'm glad I didn't hurt him, yet I still feel guilty for putting my hands on him. I'm always a little too quick to react to situations. Thank God for my partner, Stella. She keeps me in check, and out of trouble.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?" I ask the boy, which he responds with a nod. I turn to Stella and without having to say a word she just offers me a smile and tells me she'll see me in the morning, as she turns to catch a cab.

We walk down the street in silence. I'm trying to do the math in my head, and figure he must be about 17 by now. I watch him as he walks with his head hanging slightly, and hands in the pockets of his baggy sweater. His shoes are very worn and tattered, and I can't help but wonder what kind of life this boy has, and if it has something to do with the reason he came looking for Claire.

We finally reach a small diner as we stop outside the door and I open it for him. He walks inside and slides into a booth. I follow, sitting down across from him. I settle in my seat and let out a heavy sigh as I watch Reed nervously play with his fingers. "You're mother..." I begin. "Claire, she... she died on 9/11. I'm sorry." as the words leave my mouth; Reed's eyes begin to water as he hangs his head once again. He puts his hands onto his head and runs his fingers through his curly brown hair in frustration. He looks up at me once again and I feel my heart breaking inside as I look at his pain filled eyes.

"And that woman I've been following?" he manages to ask.

"That's Stella, she's my partner. We're both crime scene investigators."

"I got an address from the adoption agency. When I went to check it out I saw her leaving the apartment."

"Saturday" I reply. "It was my birthday; she had stopped by to bring me a gift. Why didn't you just talk to her?"

"I was scared I guess" the boy replied quietly, his voice a little less shaky than earlier.

"What about your family? You're parents. Do they know you're here?" I ask in concern.

He chuckles slightly "I down have a family" he responds in a bitter tone.

Slightly confused I raise an eyebrow and question him further "But you said the adoption agency. You were adopted were you not?"

"I was... When I was 5 my adoptive mother was killed in an accident. My adoptive father had already walked out on us a year earlier. I was placed in the foster care system. Everybody wants a baby; nobody wants some bratty little kid. I moved around a lot between different foster homes. Some were okay, others weren't. When I was 14 I thought I caught a break, I finally tracked down my adoptive father. He had a new family, and 3 children. He said he never wanted to adopt me, he wanted children of his own."

He looked up at me again this time tears filled his eyes. I feel a heavy strain on my heart again. "Reed, I'm so sorry" is all I manage to come up with.

He scoffs and places his hands on the table in front of him as he pushes himself up from his seat. "Thanks for the soda" he mumbles.

"Wait! Wait!" I stress as I hold my arm out so he can't walk past me.

"Look, detective" he starts with a scowl "I have somewhere I'm supposed to be right now, I have to go alright?"

I'm not sure I believe him, but right now I'm not sure what to make of any of this. I reach into my pocket on the inside of my jacket and hand him my card. "Here's my number, you can call me anytime. If you need anything, or, if you just wanna talk."

"Yeah thanks but no thanks. I don't need you're pity. You're not even related to me. Besides, cops don't seem to like me very much anyway."

And with that the young boy walks out of the diner. I'm tempted to chase after him, but know it won't do any good. He needs time to cool off and collect his thoughts, I tell myself. I linger in the diner a while longer and finish my coffee while my head tries to sort out tonight's events. What do I do now? Do I look for him? Do I leave him be? What do I know about kids? Nothing. Claire and I never planned on having any. I always thought it was guilt about giving up Reed that made her not want kids, like maybe she felt she didn't deserve a second chance with children. Claire would have been a great mother. It was too bad she had Reed so young; she thought she did the best thing by giving him up for adoption. She wanted him to have a chance at a better life, unfortunately that's not the hand he was dealt.

I finally reach home and sigh as I enter the apartment. It's dark and empty, as it always is when I return home. I hang up my jacket and make my way toward my bedroom where I collapse onto my bed. I'm tired but know I won't get much sleep. I can't stop thinking about Reed.

...

The sun peers in through my bedroom window and forces me awake. I look at my watch to see that it's 6:15 a.m. The last time I remember looking at it last night it was 3:30, so I'm thankful that I got at least some sleep. After a quick shower and shave I'm off to the lab.

I reach my office and find Stella waiting for me when I arrive. "You're here early" I tell her in surprise.

"How'd it go with Reed?" She asks with a glum tone. She knows this was hard on me, and him of course.

"Not so good I'm afraid. I told him about his mother, and before we could get too far he was practically running for the door."

"I'm sure he'll come around Mac, he just needs time"

"I don't now Stella... He's been through a lot. He's a foster kid, and a pretty bitter one."

"What?" Stella asks in shock. "When you told me about him before you said he was adopted"

"He was" I reply softly. "His adoptive father left, and his mother died when he was young"

"Oh Mac, that's awful"

"I know, I know. This is not what Claire wanted for him. She wanted to give him what she couldn't, a family. I don't know what to do Stella. This kid doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Of course he says that Mac, but you can't believe that. He's a scared kid. Both of his mothers died and his father left him. He's not going to trust again easily. But you have to do something Mac. Trust me, I know what it's like to grow up in the system. I'm lucky I had someone to look out for me. Reed needs that too."

"You're right" I comply, resting my hands on the back of my head. I don't know how I'll get through this. Thank God for Stella. She's the one person I can turn to for anything. My best friend.

"So, do you know where he lives?" She asks me.

I only shake my head.

"Hmmm..." she sighs.

"He made a comment..." I begin as I pace my office floor. "He said that cops don't seem to like him. Must've had some run ins. Maybe he's in the system?" I turn to Stella and she makes her way to my desk and starts typing at my computer.

"Here he is" she exclaims after a few short moments. "Nothing major in here, just a couple counts of public mischief, and... oh wait a minute, here's one from just a couple weeks ago. Looks like he upped his game to a B and E."

"What? Really?! He doesn't seem the type, but then again I guess I don't know him that well."

"Don't rush to judgements too quickly Mac, take a look to where he was caught breaking in to."

I walk over to the desk and read the description on the computer screen "New York City Adoption Agency Records Building. Well I guess that explains how he got my address."

"He clearly went through a lot of trouble to find you Mac. He may have come looking for his mother, but the reality is, you're the closest thing to a family he's got."

"I don't know Stella... I don't know what I'm doing. What am I gonna do with him?"

"Well, why don't you start by trying to be his friend. Seems like he could use a good one of those. Get to know him a little. See where things go from there."

"Does it give a last known address?" I finally cave.

"Yep, here you go" she scrolls down on his record to the last known address and Mac jots it down on a piece of paper.

"You're sure about this?" I ask her, still not entirely convinced I'm doing the right thing.

"Yes! Trust me." She smiles.

"Alright, alright you win." I reply with a smile as I feel my blackberry buzzing in my pocket and pull it out to read the message. "I'll check on him later on, for now looks like you and I have a 419 in Central Park, let's get going."

I head to the crime scene and somehow manage to keep my brain mostly focussed on work. As my day nears its end, I put a few finishing touches on the case files on my desk and grab my jacket as I head out of the office.

As I climb into my truck and start making my way towards the address I had scribbled down this morning, I begin to feel this nervous, uneasy feeling in my stomach as I near my destination. What am I going to say to him? Is he even going to listen? Ugh, I need Stella...

...

I reach the apartment building and let out a heavy sigh while I remain sitting in the truck. I linger in the truck for a while, trying to convince myself to just go inside. Suddenly I feel my blackberry buzzing in my pocket again. I reach for my phone and pull it out to read the message: _"Mac, everything will be fine, but you've got to give it a chance – Stella."_

I can only smile as I tuck my phone back into my pocket. I knew she'd come through for me. Always does. That gives me the final push I needed to get out of the truck and walk into the building.

It's pretty rundown, and not exactly in the best neighbourhood. The ceiling leaks and there are large white buckets all down the hallway to catch the dripping water. I finally reach the door I'm looking for, take a deep breath, and knock...

After a few moments the door swings open, and Reed stands on the other side, still wearing the same clothes as the previous day. He has a shocked but confused expression on his face as he sees me standing before him.

"Detective Taylor?"

"Reed, please. Call me Mac."

"Something I can do for you Mac?"

"I'm sorry if yesterday didn't go exactly like you planned it. I truly am. I know that couldn't have been easy for you to hear, and I wish it didn't have to be this way." I feel that hard lump in my throat again, and can't help but notice that he's just as nervous and uncomfortable as I am.

"Yeah, well, like I said yesterday, I don't need anybody to feel sorry for me." He shoots back at me as he begins to shut the door.

Stella is right, I have to tell myself. He's just scared. I quickly raise my arm up and grab the door before it's able to slam in my face.

"Wait! Look, Reed, that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I thought we could try and get to know each other a little bit. I know I wasn't what you came looking for, and I'm not your father, but if you'd let me, I'd like to have a shot at being your friend. What do you say? I think it's what your mother would have wanted." I tell him in truth.

Reed hangs his head and stares at the floor, but has yet to offer me a response, so I try again.

"We could get some dinner. Or just go for a walk and talk if you'd rather. How 'bout it?"

****What do you think so far? Please review and let me know your thoughts, if you want this story to continue or not. Thanks XD****


	2. Chapter 2

**A Second Chance at a Family – Chapter 2**

[Reeds POV]

I still haven't given Mac an answer yet, as I still haven't decided on one. He's clearly nervous and my brain tries to wrap itself around the situation. I can't figure this guy out. Why would he want anything to do with me? What's in it for him? I'm unsure what his angle is in all of this. Besides my adoptive mother; no adult has had much of an interest in me or my life, and although I'm a little weary of the whole scenario, the fact is I'm pretty hungry, and am not in a situation to pass up a free meal. Besides, I'm rather intrigued to hear any information he can offer me about my mother.

"Fine, whatever" I finally comply, trying not to sound too interested. I take a step into the hallway and close the door behind me.

"It's getting a little chilly out, you should grab a jacket." Mac tells me. Who does he think he is? First he says he wants to be my friend, now he's trying to order me around like my father? I can only manage a slight glare in his direction, and to my surprise he instantly raises his hands in the air in defeat.

"Sorry, never mind, forget I said anything. Let's just go" He tells me as he starts walking towards the exit.

I just shake my head and follow after him.

[Mac's POV]

I can't believe I almost blew it already. He's old enough to know if he needs a jacket or not. I have to be careful of my boundaries, as I know the slightest slip up could cause him to walk away from me for good.

We walk to my truck in silence, and as we climb inside I see his eyes slightly light up as he looks around the interior of the Avalanche. It's far from a luxury vehicle, but clearly he's not used to anything even remotely lavish, don't have to be a detective to figure that out. He listens carefully to ever muffled voices that come over the police scanner. I hardly notice it anymore, but he seems fascinated by it.

"Cool..." he beams as he reaches for the siren on the dash. "You can just put this on whenever you want?"

"Well, whenever an emergency arises, yes." I tell him and he puts it back on the dashboard.

"Hmm" he replies with a frown.

We sit in silence a few moments longer, as I drive in no particular direction, as I don't know where I'm going yet.

"So, you hungry?" I finally ask him, hoping he says yes, as I have no other ideas in mind.

"I guess, sure..." he replies with a sigh.

He's not giving me much to work with, but it's a start. I know I've got a long tough road ahead of me, but I'm up for the challenge.

We head to a nearby restaurant, nothing fancy, kids don't like fancy. Stella gave me a few pointers earlier on how to handle tonight. She knows I'm nervous and don't have the first clue what I'm doing.

"This place okay?" I ask him as we pull into the parking lot.

"Sure" is all he offers me. I'm starting to wonder if this kid is capable of anything more than one or two word answers. Just nerves I tell myself. Stella told me he would be standoff-ish, at least at first.

As we head into the restaurant he wastes no time in quickly finding a table for us and sits down. I make my way over and sit down across from him. A young waitress comes over and hands us menus and he is quick to grab one and start scanning it with his eyes. Poor kid, I think to myself. Probably starving. Guilt consumes me more and more as I watch the boy reading the menu.

"Whatever you want" I tell him, "It's on me."

"Thanks" he replies with a slight nod.

The waitress returns with our drinks and asks if we are ready to order. I look up at Reed and tell him to go ahead. Surprisingly he doesn't order the entire menu, as I almost anticipated he might have. He just asks for a cheeseburger and french fries. Trying not to take advantage of my generosity I assume, which although I wouldn't mind, I can't help but be pleased that he is trying to be polite.

"Sounds good" I reply. "I'll have the same."

The waitress offers us a smile, collects our menus and leaves our table once again. Not having our menus to hide behind any longer, I decide it's time to take the opportunity to get to know Reed a little better.

"So..." I begin, "was that your place back there?"

He shakes his head "Nah, my friend Bobby. He lets me crash there. After I left my last foster home last year, I didn't really have a place to stay."

I feel that familiar hard lump in my throat once again, that's no way for a young boy to be living. A kid should have a home, and be able to feel secure. I've had more than a few calls out to that neighbourhood, never a pretty sight. A lot of drug deals gone awry, and other equally horrible scenes. God only knows what this 'Bobby' character is like. I hate the fact that he is subjected to have to live like this. I don't ask about his last foster home, as it is clear to me that living in a shady apartment is more bearable for him than his last home. A subject I'm sure he doesn't want to get into with me, at least not yet.

"Oh." Is all I can offer; again, not wanting to sound like an overbearing protector. "So, what do you like to do?" I ask, trying to lighten the conversation a bit.

"I don't know, nothing."

Sadly, it's pretty much the answer I was expecting from him. I'm nervous and wish this kid would offer me something, other than a rope to hang myself with.

I decide to change the subject to Claire. It's hard for me to talk about her, but I'm hoping it will give us some common ground to stand on, and he might actually have an interest in keeping up a conversation with me until our dinner arrives.

"I brought you some pictures." I tell him as I reach into my pocket of my jacket. "She looked a lot like you, you know." I tell him as I hand him the few photographs of Claire that I kept.

A smile instantly comes across his face, and I can't help but do the same, as it's the first time I've seen him with anything other than a scowl on his face.

"She was really pretty huh?"

"She was." I agree with a nod. "You know Reed," I begin. "She thought she was doing what was best for you. Your father wanted her to have an abortion, but the she would never let the thought cross her mind. She was too young to offer you much of anything herself, and she thought she was giving you a better chance at a good life by giving you up. If she would have known..." my voice just trails off and I hang my head slightly.

Reed lets out a soft sigh. "It's okay. I'm not blaming her for anything." He assures me. "I just wish I could have gotten to know her a little."

"She would have liked that." I tell him in truth. "She talked about you all the time. She always talked about how she wanted to find you when you were 18. As to her knowledge, she thought you were with a loving adoptive family, and didn't want to overstep any boundaries." I let out a heavy sigh. I can't help but wonder how different things would have been if she had found out about Reed earlier.

Reed offers only a slight nod, and goes to hand me back the pictures.

"Why don't you hang on to those" I tell him and his face lights up.

"Really? Are you sure?" he asks.

"Yeah, I want you to have them."

"Thanks." He replies with a smile, and I feel the tension ease off my shoulders slightly as our dinner begins to arrive.

Reed devours his food, barely coming up for air, and I can hardly eat, as I'm too distracted watching him tear through his meal like he's in some sort of eating contest. A few minutes after our food had arrived he was finished his plate, and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"If you're still hungry, by all means" I tell him "get something else"

"No, I'm full." He tells me, and I'm not convinced, but again, watching my boundaries I offer nothing but a nod and a smile.

[Reed's POV]

I think Mac's a little thrown at how quickly I finished my dinner, but I was starving. I'm still kind of hungry, but because of the fact that I can already feel him looking at me like I have two heads or something, I tell him I'm full as to not draw further attention on myself.

I can feel somewhat at ease now that I know he's not going to bombard me with questions that I don't want to answer. He's alright. Different than I thought he'd be. Certainly not like the kinds of cops I'm used to. I'm sure he's still judging me, but I can't say much about that, as I'm doing the same with him.

I wonder to myself how long we're going to have to sit here and make awkward small talk, truth be told I kinda just want to go home. This is all a little 'too much too soon' for me.

"Well, thanks for dinner detec—I mean, Mac."

"You're welcome." He nods. "Anytime. Like I said, I'd like us to get to know each other, but I'm not going to rush you into anything." His voice drops slightly and I know the serious talk is about to come out.

"I know I'm not what you came looking for, and I know you're disappointed, but I'm hoping you'll give me a chance to try and make it up to you, at least whatever I can make up to you. And please don't think that I think of you as a charity case, or that it's my own guilty conscience that's putting me up to this. It's not. The truth is, it's Claire. She wanted nothing more than to get to know you, and I know she would have wanted us to be friends. I'd like to give that to her."

I can only manage a nod as I feel my heart wrenching, thinking about my mother. My eyes are slightly stinging as I try and hold back a tear. I've been waiting to find my mom since I was 5 years old, and I've missed my chance. Now here's this guy that has no biological bond to me whatsoever, having a vested interest in me. Nobody's every really given a damn about me since my adoptive mother, and I can only feel a little hesitant to trust in anyone at this point, let alone the stranger that sits before me. I don't know what to think or feel, I just want to get out of here to be alone with my thoughts. I shift uncomfortably in my chair and finally look up at him. "Well, I should probably get back."

[Mac's POV]

"Sure" I tell him as I drop some cash on the table and push myself up from my chair. I wish he would at least try and open up to me a little, but I wouldn't dare push anything. I'm lucky he even stayed this long I tell myself.

We exit the restaurant and the streets are black by the time we are headed out. I start towards my truck, but notice Reed walking towards the sidewalk.

"Reed! Where are you going?" I ask him.

"It's not that far, I can walk. You don't have to drive me."

This boy is going to be the death of me, I think to myself. No way I'm letting him walk home from here at this time of night, I don't care how many times he's done it before. Worried that I might just push him away further if I insist that I drive him, an idea pops into my head.

"Come on, I can get you home in a flash. You need to get home, that could constitute an emergency" I tell him with a wink as a smile comes across his face.

"Alright." He complies as he joins me in the truck.

"What I do?" He asks in haste as he picks up the siren from the dash.

"Open your window, and put it on the roof." I instruct, and he follows. "Now, see that switch? Flick that up."

"This one?" He asks as he points to the switch.

"Yeah, that one" I tell him.

He flicks the switch upwards and the loud roar of the siren makes him laugh, making me smile to see him enjoying himself.

I slightly speed down the otherwise abandoned streets. There are no other cars around, so I'm not worried about abusing my siren privileges for Reed's benefit. We reach his building in a matter of minutes and I pull up in front of the doors and stop the truck, and he turns off the siren. A smile still on his face as he glances up at me.

"Next time maybe I can drive." He says with a smirk and my eyes just widen.

"Relax Mac, just kidding" he laughs and I can't help but grin and offer a slight chuckle. "Thanks again for dinner" he tells me as he climbs out of the truck.

"Remember what I said" I tell him before he's out of earshot "Anytime."

He nods without looking back at me and I wait till he is safely inside before I pull away from the building.

This evening may not have been a happy family reunion, but in truth it was all I could have hoped for, and went maybe even better than I could have expected. Again, I'm thankful he actually stayed through dinner without running for the door. Baby steps, I tell myself. He'll come around eventually.

I reach home and feel slightly more relieved than I did last night, although I'm still a bit anxious, as I wonder what the future has in store for Reed and myself. I crawl into bed and reach for my phone on the nightstand: _"Stella, thanks for the push. I needed it. – Mac" _I type into my phone and hit send, assuming she'll be asleep by now, but am sure she'll appreciate the message when she gets it in the morning. I close my eyes only for a moment when I hear my phone buzzing its way across the nightstand. I reach for it and smile as I read the message: _"I knew you would've ;) Hope everything went well. I expect full details in the morning! Goodnight. – Stella"_ I return my phone to the nightstand and close my eyes to get some much needed rest, a smile still lingering on my face.

**---**

****So, what do you think so far? Things are about to get a bit heated as Reed might find himself in some trouble ;) This isn't the Brady Bunch we're talking about here... Their relationship will see its share of ups and downs. What will happen when Mac is forced to choose between his stepson and following protocol? And what's in store for SMacked? Would you like to see more of them?****

**Reviews are always appreciated! XD**


	3. Chapter 3

As I slowly open my eyes to the bright morning sun, I am relieved to feel at least somewhat rested. I push myself out of bed and head towards the kitchen to make some coffee. My mind is still consumed with thoughts of Reed; mostly concerned for his safety and well-being. I can only hope that after our chat last night he will feel a little more comfortable with me, and will hopefully call me sometime soon. I hate thinking about him being in that seedy apartment building. Unfortunately, being a crime scene investigator, I know all too well the sort of company a place like that keeps. Some could argue that I don't know him well enough to believe he is any different from the low lives that inhabit a neighbourhood like that, but I refuse to believe it. Watching him last night as his face lit up with laughter at the sound of my siren wailing assures me that there's still a kid inside that tough outer shell that he tries so hard to hide behind, in order to protect himself. Can't even say I blame him, as I walk around in a similar shell, trying to protect _myself._

Regardless, I am at a loss as I slowly sip the hot coffee. Do I wait for him to call? Do I just show up again if he doesn't call? Is he going to think I'm pestering him? Will it scare him off completely? Ugh. I need to get out of my own head for a second. I'm used to having all the answers, and hate the fact that in this instance, I have none. This is very unfamiliar ground for me, which again, is not something I'm used to.

I grab a quick shower, get dressed, and am out the door in no time at all, heading towards the lab. I need a distraction.

...

[Stella's POV]

As I reach the parking lot at the lab, I can't help but feel a smile creeping onto my lips as I see Mac's truck already here. I'm anxious to hear how it went last night with Reed. As I didn't get a frantic phone call in the middle of the night, I can only assume it didn't go too badly. I'm glad I can be here to offer any help I can to Mac as he treads through these unfamiliar waters. He's always been there for me, through just about everything, so it will be nice to return the favour. Being an orphan myself, I know all too well what Reed is going through; and being Mac's best friend of over 10 years, I've got a pretty good insight on him as well.

I head inside the building and quickly go in search of Mac. As I near his office I lean on the door frame at first, watching him as sits at his desk, head in hand, and letting out a heavy sigh of frustration. Poor guy, it's not often I see him like this. He's always got an answer, always in control of every situation; I know its killing him inside to feel so helpless.

"How'd it go?" I finally ask, letting my presence known.

He manages to gaze up from his desk and offer a soft sigh as he shakes his head. "I don't know" he finally answers me. "I guess it went pretty good, better than I thought it would have, to be honest."

"Then why do you look so flustered?" I ask him in wonder.

"I don't know, Stella. He's staying with some friends in this shady apartment building in an even worse part of town. He doesn't eat well; he can't take care of himself. He's just a kid Stell; he shouldn't have to be in this situation. I don't even know how to describe what's going through my head."

"I do." I tell him as I walk up next to him, offering a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You do?" he asks and I nod. "Well, by all means, enlighten me."

"That feeling you have that you're not familiar with, it's helplessness. You're always the guy on the white horse Mac, riding in to save the day. It's frustrating you that you're not in complete control of this situation. Am I right?"

"You're always right." He tells me with a sigh. "I guess I just need some time to get my head straight. I mean, 3 days ago I had never even met this kid, now I can't stop thinking about him. I know I can't just come barging into his life, as much as I might want to. But he needs help Stella, and I don't know how much longer I can stand back and watch."

"I understand he needs help Mac, but if you come on too strong it will probably be the last time you see him. You've got to give him some space, some time to sort through his feelings. He has severe abandonment issues; it will be a while before he warms up to the idea of Sunday afternoon barbeques, and baseball games at Yankee stadium." I tell him softly as my hand remains on his shoulder to offer him any comfort I can. I know it's not what he wants to hear, but he needs to know what he's up against.

"How does he do it..." he mumbles under his breath.

"Do what?" I ask

"How does he just show up one day, and all of a sudden turn my life as I knew it upside down?"

"That's what kids do I'm afraid. They worry you to the brink of insanity" I tell him with a smirk.

"Will you promise me something?" He asks softly.

"Anything." I tell him, my curiosity peaked.

"You'll be there to see me off as I'm carted away by the men in white coats?" He says with a smirk, and I can't help but chuckle.

"Relax Mr. Dramatic; you're not going to a mental institution. Reed will come around eventually, you'll see. But I will promise that I'll be there to say I told you so" I tell him with a wink, causing him to smile.

[Mac's POV]

"Well I'm looking forward to when that moment comes" I tell her as she nears the doors of my office, about to take her leave.

"Well, I have some work to do, and you should do the same. Don't sit around here moping all day. Go find a dead body, or whatever it is you crazy kids do for fun now these days" She tells me with a grin as she exits my office and I can't help but let out a small chuckle.

I lean back in my chair for a moment and try to get my brain focussed on where it should be, work. Thankfully my phone starts to ring, and I'm glad to have a distraction.

"Taylor." I answer.

"Hey Mac, its Don. We've got a floater... Someone dumped a body in the harbour, couple of uniforms found it this morning."

"I'm on my way" I quickly respond and slide my phone back into my pocket. I grab my jacket and head out to my truck to meet Flack at the scene. Finally something to keep my mind occupied.

...

"Flack, what do we got?" I ask in anticipation as I approach my colleague.

"John Doe I'm afraid. Wallet is missing, no watch or anything else of value on his person. Probably a robbery turned homicide." He tells me as he leads me towards the body.

I crouch down beside the well dressed, middle aged man and reach for a glove. "Nice suit. Probably had a nice wallet to go along with it. He's got defensive wounds on his hands, and these stab wounds appear random. Whoever his attacker was, probably didn't anticipate a fight." I tell Flack as I examine the body.

"Everyone thinks they can be a hero" Flack tells me with a slight frown.

"Hey guys, what've we got?" I look up to see Hawkes approaching the scene. He kneels down beside me to take a look.

"John Doe." I tell him. "What's your take on T.O.D.?" I ask the former M.E., turned C.S.I.

"Well, judging by the liver temp, and the temperature of the water; educated guess, I'd say that puts time of death around 48 hours ago."

"Alright, let's get him back to Sid and see what else he can tell us about him." I tell him as we both rise to our feet.

"You got it boss." He tells me then walks over to greet the coroner who's just arrived on scene.

"Well, 48 hours, there's a chance he could be in the missing persons database. I'll get back to the lab and have Adam run a search." I tell Flack and he nods, then heads over to talk to the other officers.

As I walk past the group of officers and head towards my truck I hear a muffled dispatcher voice come over one of their radios. "All units respond. Possible 319 in progress, 19th and West 27th street. Shots fired."

I stop dead in my tracks and jerk my head towards Flack and the other officers.

"Mac, what is it?" Flack asks me as he notices the look of horror on my face.

"Reed!" is all I manage to get out as I start running for my truck.

"Who? Mac, where are you going?" Flack asks, but I don't have time for details as I reach my truck and jump inside. I quickly flip on the siren and peel out of the crime scene.

I have an uneasy feeling in my stomach, and my heart is racing as I speed down the street.

...

[Stella's POV]

"Bonasera" I respond as I answer my phone.

"Stella, hey. It's Flack."

"Flack, what's up?" I ask, assuming he's got a new case for me.

"Question for ya... who's Reed?"

My eyes widen and a sudden flash of fear comes over me "Why? What happened? Is he okay? Where's Mac?"

"I have no idea. I was at a crime scene with Mac when a call came out over the radio, he heard the call, and looked at me like he had seen a ghost. I asked him what was wrong and he mentioned the name Reed, then made a dash for his truck and took off."

"What was the call for?"

"Just a 319, your run of the mill drug bust. I've told you what I know, now tell me what you know. Who's Reed?" Flack questions me again, and I'm afraid I have no choice but to tell him.

"He's... well, technically I guess he's Mac's stepson." I tell him and hear nothing but silence on the other end for a few brief moments.

"... His what??? Wait, what? Did I miss something?"

"It's a long story" I tell him with a sigh. "Claire gave him up for adoption before she met Mac, and he just kinda showed up a few days ago."

"Okay, and how does he fit into this 319?"

"Not sure, what was the address?"

"Uh, somewhere downtown, West 27th I think."

"Oh no... Reed lives in that neighbourhood, he stays with some friends there."

"What? What's a kid doing living in a neighbourhood like that?" Flack asks me, but I don't have time to give him all the answers he's looking for.

"I'm sorry Flack, I gotta find Mac. Thanks for calling me."

"Stella, wait! Stella..." I hear Flack yelling into the phone but I quickly hang up and dial Mac's number. I have to talk to him.

...

[Mac's POV]

As I pull up to Reed's apartment building I feel my heart nearly stop as I see several squad cars outside the doors. I quickly jump out of my truck and run into the building. I run to the apartment that Reed was staying in and see two officers guarding the door. I try to get past but they stop me from getting inside.

"Detective Taylor, Crime Scene!" I snarl at them as I hold up my badge and they part ways to let me in.

Once inside I quickly go in search of Reed, but find nothing but police officers scattered throughout the apartment. I see a small pool of blood on the floor in the kitchen and I instantly fear the worst as I head towards one of the officers.

"Where is everyone? There was a kid staying here, where is he?!" I demand to know as I shout at the officer.

"Took 'em all downtown for booking." He tells me with a shrug.

"Whose blood is that? What the hell happened?" I demand answers again.

"Just some two-bit drug dealer. We came in for a bust and the guy pulled a gun, so one of the officers retaliated. Just a flesh wound in the shoulder, not exactly your jurisdiction detective." He tells me, and he's right. From a professional stand point, I have no need to be here. But from a personal one, I want answers, and I need to find Reed.

I head out of the building and run to my truck once again. I get inside and start to head towards the precinct.

I'm a few minutes away when my phone starts ringing. It's the third time it's rang, but I was too distressed to answer it earlier, so decide it's time I pick it up.

"Taylor" I answer.

"Mac!" Stella's voice shouts on the other end. "What's going on? Is everything okay? I heard there was a 319 at Reed's building."

"I don't know; he's not here. They might've taken him in. I'm hoping he wasn't there when it happened though. I'm on my way to central booking now. I've gotta find him Stella."

"Mac..." She begins and I know she's going to try and talk some sense into me. "This isn't your case, you're not the boss down there, you can't just go roaring into the building and demand his release."

"Watch me!" Is all I can think to say as I hang up the phone. I know she's trying to help, but this is not a situation where I can be reasoned with.

My mind is going in a hundred different directions. I'm angry, worried sick, and have no idea how I'm going to react when I finally see Reed. Could he be involved in this? I shudder at the thought. Maybe I've just been kidding myself in thinking he's just an innocent kid. Regardless, I'll get these answers from him myself.

I finally reach the precinct and storm inside. I get down to the holding cell area and tell the clerk at the desk who I'm looking for. He takes me down the hallway and stops in front of a cell where I see Reed, along with a few other men sitting inside the cell.

"Garrett!" The clerk yells and Reed lifts his head and looks towards us. He rolls his eyes as he notices me and stands to his feet.

"Let's go, you're coming with me." I tell him as I look at the guard and offer a nod, letting him know to open the cell.

"Detective Taylor I can't..." the clerk nervously begins before I cut him off.

"Open it!" I tell him, raising my voice. "I'll sign for his release into my custody"

He takes a moment to himself before answering me. "Alright, but this is on you. I'm not taking any heat for it." He tells me reluctantly.

"That's fine." I huff. "Now open the door."

He opens the door and Reed walks towards me. I quickly sign the form for the clerk and lead Reed out of the building and into the parking lot towards my truck.

We start walking towards the truck when Reed stops. "Mac, I..." he begins but I'm quick to cut him off.

"What the hell were you thinking Reed?" I shout as I turn towards him. He flinches at the sound of my raised voice, but I'm so consumed with anger I can't control it. "You could've been hurt, or worse! What's your involvement in this? Do you have any idea what I just did back there? I don't even know how deep you are in this mess!"

"I didn't do anything alright!" He yells back at me, and I decide to hear him out. "This guy came over, and Bobby told me to go wait outside, so I did, and before I know the place is crawling with cops. I tried to make a run for it; I didn't want to get in any trouble. But they headed me off and grabbed me and brought me in. I swear Mac, I'm not involved in any of it. You believe me right?" He asks me as his voice starts to tremble.

I only let out a soft sight and hang my head slightly. I want to believe him, I really do, but I don't trust my emotional state enough right now to come to any conclusions. "Reed..." I begin softly. "... just, get in the truck okay?" I tell him and he rolls his eyes then walks towards the truck and gets inside.

I'm still angry, knowing that any minute my phone could ring and I'm gonna get my ass handed to me for having Reed released, but I'll worry about that later. For now I remain silent, because I know if I get into anything with him right now I won't be able to control my temper and might say something I'm going to regret.

---

****Thanks for all the reviews, and keep 'em coming :D**

**Another chapter coming soon!!!****


	4. Chapter 4

[Reed's POV]

As I get inside the truck I slam the door hard, in frustration. I'm sure he doesn't believe me. Cops... they always think in a straight line. Too bad, I was hoping he was different. I don't even know why he showed up. Was he actually concerned about me, or just worried that I might drag his good name through the mud? I'm not sure, but regardless, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was glad he came for me.

I remain silent the entire ride. I can still see the look of anger on Mac's face, and don't want to risk setting him off again. I don't even know where we're going, but again, I'm not about to say anything.

After about 15 minutes of silence, we finally arrive at his apartment building. I can only assume he brought me here to offer me another lecture, this time out of the public eye. I get out of the truck and follow him inside. The building is immaculate; it's almost like walking into a nice hotel. There's carpeting throughout the lobby, and a door man greets us as we walk in. I've certainly never lived in a place like this. And I'm almost certain, if I wasn't with Mac, I wouldn't even be allowed inside a place like this without security rushing me back out onto the street.

We get into the elevator and head to the 4th floor. When we reach it we get out and he heads down the hallway, still not speaking to me, and I follow closely behind. We get to the end of the hallway and he opens up the door to the apartment and we go inside. I take a minute to look around; It's virtually spotless, not a speck of dust to be found. You could probably perform surgery in here if you had to. The walls are bare, no photographs or anything of that nature, and it's mostly decorated with glass and stainless steel furniture.

"Why does it look like a dentists office in here?" I ask with a chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood. He quickly offers a glare in my direction, and I know it's no time for jokes. I clear my throat and offer an apology "Sorry, I was just kidding. Nice place..." I mumble and he finally stops glaring at me.

I watch him pacing the living room floor, and I say nothing as I wait for the inevitable lecture I'm sure is coming to me.

After a few seconds his phone rings, and he stops pacing long enough to answer it.

"Taylor. - Hey, Flack. - I know, I know. - Well I didn't have much choice. - Yeah, everything's fine, look can I talk you about this later? Look, just give me a day, alright? Can you hold them off till then? – Alright, thanks. I'll talk to you soon." He hangs up the phone and puts his hand to his forehead in frustration, and I know that conversation was about me.

"Are you going to get into trouble because of me?" I ask him, suddenly feeling guilty.

"It depends" he starts with a sigh. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes, Mac I swear! I don't know what I can do to make you believe me. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I'm asking you to. Look I'm sorry you got involved in this okay." I offer in truth. "And I appreciate you bailing me out back there; I know I'm more trouble than I'm worth."

[Mac's POV]

My heart nearly breaks as I hear him speak those last words. Maybe I was too hard on him, I probably shouldn't have snapped on him and rushed to judgement so quickly, but I was angry. Now I feel nothing but regret as I look at the scared young boy before me. "Look, Reed..." I begin, letting out a heavy sigh, but he quickly interrupts.

"Mac, you don't have to say anything. I'm sorry you got dragged into this. Just let me go back to the police station and I'll do whatever I have to do."

"Trust me Reed, it'll be fine. We'll go down to the station tomorrow, and you can fill out a statement, just tell them everything you told me. I'll get this all straightened out."

"Really, Mac, it's fine. You don't have to---"

"No, it's not fine!" I interrupt. "You're not spending another minute in that holding cell, you understand me?" I ask him and he just nods. "You'll stay here tonight. We'll get it all worked out in the morning."

I look at Reed and let out a heavy sigh as he stands before me with his head hanging, and he's unable to look at me. The fact that he's obviously feeling remorseful just fuels my guilt even further. I shouldn't have gotten so angry with him; he was scared enough as it was.

I walk closer to him and put my arm around his shoulder. "I shouldn't have reacted so quickly, until I heard your side of the story. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

He finally looks up at me offers a slight nod. "Thanks by the way, for coming for me. But you know, I don't have to stay here, I don't want to –" He begins and I interrupt again

"You're not. Trust me, it's not an imposition. You're staying here. I've got a spare bedroom, and I insist. You've had a rough day, and I'm not sending you back out on the street. Besides, your friend will probably be spending at least a night in lock-up."

"okay." He finally complies and I'm relieved. I don't want to even think about him spending another minute in that dump of an apartment building that he calls home. I might not be able to keep him safe forever, but I'm damn sure gonna try.

"I guess it's starting to get late" I begin as I look at my watch, and wonder how the day flew by me so fast. "You're probably hungry, how 'bout dinner?" I ask.

"Yeah, sure" He replies with a slight shrug.

"Ok, we'll go somewhere in a couple minutes, I just have to make a quick phone call. I'll be back in a minute." I tell him as I head towards my bedroom. I need to call Stella and apologize for earlier. She was just trying to help, and I shouldn't have lost my temper with her.

I walk into my bedroom and sit down on the end of the bed and pull out my phone. I dial Stella and wait impatiently while it rings. It continues to ring several times, and I'm not sure if she's actually busy; or just not picking up because she's upset with me. Frankly, she has every reason to be.

Finally I am put through to her voicemail box.

"Hey Stella, it's me... Listen uh... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for earlier. I was just really frustrated, and I shouldn't have taken any of that out on you. And... anyway, when you get this, _please_ call me back. Alright, bye." I hang up the phone and let out a heavy sigh. _"damn it!"_ I mumble under my breath, only to notice Reed standing at my door.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop; I was just looking for the bathroom..."

"It's the second door on the left" I tell him but he remains at my doorway.

"So, is she like your girlfriend or something?" Reed asks me and just look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"No, that was Stella. She's my partner, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. But do all cops worry about hurting their partner's feelings?" He asks me and I don't have an answer. "Just seems like you guys are pretty close, that's all."

"We've been partners a long time" I explain. "She's a good friend... my best friend actually."

"Oh, okay. That's cool. Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure"

"I was just looking around, and I noticed you don't have any pictures or anything of you and my mom..."

"Yeah, I... I know. To be honest, the reminders just got to be too painful. I couldn't walk by our wedding pictures every day. So I packed everything up and moved it into storage. You probably don't understand but –"

"No, Mac I get it" he interrupts. "You know when I was a baby, I had this bear. I had it since I was adopted, and apparently I never went anywhere without it. I remember, even as I started getting older, not being able to sleep unless I had this stupid ratty old teddy bear." He begins his story with a smile, but then his voice gets softer and the smile starts to fade as he continues. "Then, after my adoptive mom died and I was placed in a foster home, I threw the bear in the garbage after the very first night. When I was with my mom, the bear made me happy. But after she was gone, it just made me sad to even look at it." He tells me as his eyes start to glisten while he tries to hold back tears.

"Well I guess we have more in common than we thought." I tell him, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He offers me a slight smile and I do the same.

"So, second door on the left?" He asks, referring again to the bathroom.

"Yeah"

"Okay, well I'm just gonna wash up, then we can get going I guess."

"Alright" I tell him and he heads into the bathroom.

...

[Stella's POV]

I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone to see that I have a missed call from Mac and a voicemail message. Knowing him he probably thinks that I'm mad at him, and screening my calls. When in reality, I've been busy down here at the precinct, trying to buy him some time before Chief Sinclair gets wind of this. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he does, but I have to do whatever I can to help cover his tracks.

I'm not angry with Mac. In fact, he reacted pretty much exactly like I assumed he would. It's scary to think that I probably know him better than he knows himself.

Flack meets me down at the station, and I offer him all the information I can regarding Reed and his relationship with Mac. After hearing me out, Flack sympathizes with Mac and offers to help me buy him some time.

Flack leaves me for a few minutes to take a phone call, so I pull out my phone to check my voicemail.

Just as I assumed, Mac. A grin comes across my face as I listen to his message. He's clearly afraid that I'm upset with him, so I decide to call him back, so he doesn't spend the rest of his night worrying about it.

"Taylor." He answers on the other end.

"Good evening Detective Taylor. This is Detective Bonasera calling. We spoke earlier... Well, _I tried_ to speak earlier" I respond in a sarcastic tone.

I hear him let out a light chuckle on the other end. "Thanks for calling me back. Are you mad at me?"

"Of course I'm not mad at you. But I did like your message though. You're cute when you're nervous." I tell him with a laugh.

"I... I wasn't nervous" he tries to convince me.

"Oh please. Tell me you weren't cursing yourself when I didn't pick up the phone, thinking I was ignoring you on purpose."

I hear nothing but silence on his end and I know I'm right. A grin comes across my face once again. "Mac?" I finally ask.

"Fine..." he admits with sigh.

"Alright, alright, I'll give you a break. Listen, Flack and I are here at the precinct, we're trying to tie up all the loose ends you left behind, but I'm telling you, it's not gonna be pretty when Sinclair gets wind of this. What's your plan? Tell me you have a plan." I ask him.

"Yeah, the truth." He tells me and I just sigh.

"You're dead Taylor."

"Gee, thanks for the moral support" he replies sarcastically.

"I'm just saying Mac, you better come up with something,"

"I'll handle Sinclair, don't worry about it. I'm bringing Reed down there in the morning, he'll fill out an official statement, and we'll jump through whatever hoops we need to. He wasn't involved Stella. He wasn't even in the apartment."

"Well that's a relief" I tell him. "How is he now?"

"Fine. A little shaken up maybe. We just got home from having dinner, he's taking a shower. Although I'm not sure what good it will do him... Think he'd be offended if I offered to take him shopping? He's been wearing the same thing for 3 days now."

"Well, I doubt this 'Bobby' character is getting out of here anytime soon, so you could mention that he won't be able to get back into his place for a while to pick up any of his things. Might make him feel less embarassed about it. And whatever you do, don't go with him. Kids hate when you take them shopping and try to tell them what to wear. Save yourself the headache and just give him some money to do it himself. Besides, that will let him know that you trust him."

"Where would I be without you?" He asks and I can't help but smile.

"You can quit grovelling already, I told you I'm not mad at you." I reply and he lets out a laugh.

"Goodnight Stella."

"Goodnight Mac."

**-Meanwhile, back in the holding cell-**

[ Bobby's POV]

It's getting late, and this place has finally calmed down a bit. Not so many cops wandering in and out anymore. It's now just me and L.J. in the holding cell. I start to feel a little nervous as I watch him get up and look down the hallway to make sure there's no cops within earshot.

"What the hell happened man?!" He demands to know as he shoves me against the wall of the cell. "How did those cops get the drop on us?"

"I don't know man, I swear!" I tell him in truth, praying that he believes me. He's not the kind of guy you want on your bad side. I'm sure the reason I'm still alive is because I've been locked in this cell all day.

"Well I certainly didn't tip them off!" He snarls at me, trying not to raise his voice too loudly. "They shot me man! Look at this!" He growls, glancing down at his bandaged shoulder.

"You pulled a gun on a cop! What did you think was gonna happen?!?!" I counter as I try to push past him.

He grabs me once again and slams me back into the wall. "What's up with your little buddy huh? How come he got outta here scot free? Who was that cop that took him out of here?"

"I don't know man, I don't really know the kid that well, he just crashes at my place sometimes." I tell him, hoping he believes me. If he found out about Reed he would go after him for sure.

"Don't lie to me Bobby!" He growls as he pushes me harder into the wall. "If you don't tell me what I want to know right now, when I get out of here I'll kill your little buddy, then I'll find you and kill you too, for the aggravation you caused me!"

He puts his hand over my mouth with one hand, and grabs my arm with the other and bends it backwards, forcing me to my knees. I scream in pain, but it's just muffled noise with his hand over my mouth. "Now, are you gonna tell me what I want to know, or am I gonna have to break your arm?" he whispers quietly into my ear.

I nod my head in agreement and he releases his grasp on me. I fall to the floor in pain and grab onto my arm, but L.J. is quick to pull me to my feet and force me back against the wall.

"Okay, okay!" I finally give in. "His name is Reed Garret. He's been staying with me for a year or so, he was a foster kid, didn't have a family. Then, he found this cop; Taylor I think his name is. Found out it's his step father. That's all I know, I swear."

"Did he set us up? Rat me out to Daddy?!" He says with a sneer, as he puts his hand to my throat and forces me further against the wall.

"No, no way! Trust me, he wouldn't do that. He's my boy. He barely even knows this cop, he just met him!" I tell him and his grip around my throat only gets tighter.

"All a little too convenient don't you think? You might want to take a good look at who your friends are." He tells me as he finally lets go of my throat and I gasp for air.

He walks back over to the bench and takes a seat. "I've already called my lawyer" he begins. "I'll be outta here by morning, so your boy better watch his back." He tells me with a grin, and I am actually glad that I can't afford a lawyer and will have to stay in here for a while. I know once I'm on the outside he'll come for me and wouldn't think twice about killing me. He was going to shoot a cop earlier, what's to stop him from going after me? I need to warn Reed, before it's too late.

****Well, what do you think so far? Do you like how the relationship between Mac & Reed is unfolding?  
What do you think of the SMacked moments? **

**STILL TO COME: Will Mac's ass be on the line when Sinclair finds out what happened?  
Will L.J. get his revenge on Reed? **

**Find out soon!  
More reviews = faster updates!****


	5. Chapter 5

[Reed's POV]

I step out of the shower and into the steam filled bathroom. I wrap a towel around my waist and take a minute to collect my thoughts. What a day... I know if Mac didn't show up when he did, I would still be in that holding cell. Still, it almost feels strange to me, having someone look out for me. Definitely not something I've had the luxury of getting used to. Mac has only known me a couple of days and he's already letting me stay in his home. Again I'm not sure if it's guilt, or genuine concern for my well-being that is causing him to be so nice to me. Or maybe it's just like he said, it's what my mother would have wanted. Still hurts me to think that my mother is gone, and I never got a chance to meet her. Judging just by the way Mac talks about her and the look of pain and sadness in his eyes every time we talk about her, I can only assume she must have been an amazing person. I don't hold any resentment for her for giving me up. Mac said she was trying to do what was best for me and I believe him. She couldn't have known that this is how things would turn out for me. All I can do now is take solace in the fact that wherever she is, she's probably happy to look down on us and see that Mac and I have found each other. He told me himself that she wanted nothing more than to find me; so I guess this would be the next best thing. Then again, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm not going to get my hopes up. I've caused enough trouble in Mac's life and I only met him a few days ago. Maybe when all this mess is over we'll just go our own ways. Whatever the case may be, I'm going to try and cut Mac some slack. I haven't been the easiest person to get along with. Frankly I'm surprised he's stuck around as long as he did.

I finally gather up my clothes and head out of the bathroom towards the spare room. Mac's bedroom door is already shut, so I assume he's already gone to bed. I walk into the spare room and flip on the light. He's left an extra comforter and pillow sitting on the end of the bed; and on the nightstand there is a neatly folded pair of pyjama pants and t-shirt for me to wear to bed.

I get changed into the pyjamas and crawl into the warm bed. A lot nicer than the ratty sofa I'm used to sleeping on. It's only a matter of minutes before I am whisked away into a heavy sleep.

...

"Reed... Reed!" I'm shaken awake by Mac, who's standing over my bed, already dressed in his usual dress pants, collared shirt and suit jacket. I was having such a nice sleep; I can't believe that it's morning already.

"What time is it?" I finally manage to mumble.

"About... quarter after 7." He replies.

"What? Are you kidding me? Does the sun even come up this early???" I ask as I grab my pillow and pull it over my face.

I hear Mac let out a small laugh and he pulls the pillow from my face. "I'm afraid so. Now come on, we've got a busy day ahead of us."

Eventually I let out a loud groan and push the blankets off myself and sit up in the bed. He stands by my door smiling, and laughing at my obvious disapproval for being woken up this early. "Oh God, you're a morning person aren't you?"

"Just not a big fan of sleeping" he responds with a grin. "Seems almost of like a waste of my time..."

"Well, I guess we can't have _everything_ in common" I counter and he chuckles again.

"Well I'll leave you to get dressed. When you're ready there's juice and cereal in the kitchen."

"Thanks" I tell him and he leaves the room.

...

[Mac's POV]

I head into the kitchen and pour myself a coffee. I'm not really hungry, but I sit at the table anyway to wait for Reed. After a few minutes he comes out from the spare room and shuffles his way into the kitchen. I left him a glass of orange juice on the counter, but instead he reaches for a mug and starts pouring himself a coffee.

"You drink coffee?" I ask in wonder. After all, he's just a kid.

"Yes, I drink coffee. Besides, what do you expect when you wake me up at 7:00 in the morning?" He responds with a smirk.

He joins me at the table and reaches for the box of cereal. He fills the bowl so full that as he adds some milk, it almost spills over the edge. I'm still amazed at how this kid eats, like every meal might be his last. He finishes in a matter of minutes and wipes his mouth with his sleeve.

"Ready to go?" He asks me as he takes the last mouthful of his coffee. I just nod and we push ourselves up from the table.

As we make our way towards my truck, I try to make light conversation. I don't want to make him nervous about going down to the station, even though I am in complete agony about it. I hardly slept at all last night, trying to figure myself a way out of this mess. I don't want him to see me anxious about, so I act like it's no big deal, and I explain to him the process he will go through when he goes to make his statement.

He doesn't seem worried about it, and I'm not sure if that's because of his previous experience in dealing with the law, or because I've reassured him enough and he's confident I won't let anything happen to him. I'm hoping it's the latter. I want him to feel he can trust me.

I might have something coming to me, but I'm sure I can handle whatever Sinclair throws at me. I just want to make sure Reed's name gets cleared.

We reach the police department, and head inside. I have to make a quick stop into the lab before we head over to central booking.

As we walk through the halls of the lab, Reed looks around in wonder at all the lab rooms and equipment; he's like a kid in a toy store. We get to my office and I open the door for him to go inside.

"Whoa! Nice digs Mac!" he exclaims as we walk into my office.

I just smile and shake my head as I hang my jacket up on the coat rack. I pick up a file that had been left on my desk and quickly scan through it. "I have to go talk to one of my lab techs for a couple minutes, you can just wait here." I tell him as I tuck the file under my arm and go to walk out of the office.

"Can I come with you?" He asks me, and I kind of feel proud that he's interested in my work.

"Sure" I tell him with a smile and he follows me out of the office and down the hallway as I go in search of Adam.

I finally spot Adam in the a/v lab and we go inside.

"Hey boss!" He greets me as I enter the lab, then he notices Reed. "Oh, did I miss the memo? Is it like bring your kids to work day, or show and tell or something?" He asks while letting out a chuckle and a grin forming on his lips.

"Adam." I confront him with a firm tone and the grin on his face fades away.

"Right, sorry boss. What can I do for you?"

"The vic from yesterday, the John Doe. I need you to search the missing persons database and see what you can come up with. Here's a preliminary report from Sid." I tell him as I hand him the file.

"Sure thing boss" He replies with a nod.

"Call me if you get anything" I tell him and then exit the room with Reed following behind me.

"I like that guy, he's funny" Reed tells me with a smirk and I just shake my head.

"Well, he is the best, I'll give him that"

"Ah ha! I heard that!" I hear a muffled yell through the glass walls and look back to see Adam with a huge smile on his face as he points at me.

Reed laughs and I just grin and roll my eyes. "See what you did? He's never gonna let that go".

We head to the other side of the building, and into the "bullpen" as we call it. I walk up to Flack's desk and he's already waiting for me.

"Hey Mac" he greets me as I walk towards him.

"Hey. Flack, this is Reed Garret. Reed, this is my good friend, Detective Flack."

Flack extends his hand to Reed and they shake hands. "Good to meet you Reed."

Reed offers a small nod and we take a seat at Flacks desk.

"So," Flack begins. "I talked to Weiss; he's the lead detective on the case. I told him that Reed wasn't in the apartment, and wasn't involved in any way. He needs you to fill out this statement Reed, and don't skip any details, okay?" Reed just nods in agreement. "Now because you're a minor, they can't hold you, or bring you in for questioning or anything without your guardian present..." He tells us as his eyes dart back and forth between Reed and I. Stella probably already filled him in on the fact that he has no one. Except me.

"That will be me." I tell him and he leans across the desk coming closer to me.

"Mac, if I put your name on these..." he says in a hushed voice, and I know he's worried about Sinclair.

"Don, its fine."

Reed looks up at me and I offer a reassuring nod. "Don't worry about it, I'm not." I tell him, hoping I sound convincing enough.

He smiles and looks back down to the piece of paper in front of him and starts filling it out.

While waiting for Reed, I make small talk with Flack as he fills me in about the case we started yesterday. We chat for 10 minutes or so then Reed pushes the piece of paper back towards Flack.

"Finished" he tells him handing the pen back to him.

"Okay, well I'll get this off to Weiss"

We all stand up from the desk and then my phone rings.

"Taylor"

"Hey Mac, its Sid"

"Sid, what's up?"

"I've got some hot off the press info for you on your John Doe actually"

"Alright, I'll be right there" I tell him as I hang up the phone and put it back in my pocket.

"It was Sid." I begin to tell Flack. "He's got something on our John Doe."

"Who's Sid?" Reed asks.

"He's the medical examiner" I tell him and his eyes light up.

"You mean like, the morgue guy? Cool... Can I come with you?"

"You don't want to see any of that Reed"

"Come on Mac, please? I won't say anything; I'll stay out of the way" he lightly begs.

I look over to Flack and he just smiles and shrugs his shoulders. Great, somebody as clueless as I am when it comes to kids.

"Fine" I finally agree and Reed smiles back at me.

"Awesome!"

"Well, I'm going to see Weiss" Flack tells me. "Let me know what you get from Sid."

"Okay" I comply as we head in different directions.

We get into the elevator and head into the basement. "Have you ever seen a dead body before?" I ask him and he shakes his head.

"Just in the movies..." he responds.

"You sure you wanna do this?" I ask one more time as the elevator comes to a halt.

"I'm sure" he tells me in anticipation as we exit the elevator.

As we walk towards the exam room I tell Reed that he has to wait outside, but he can watch through the glass.

"Aw, come on Mac, can't I go inside?"

"Sorry Reed, it's against the rules. You can watch everything from here." I tell him and he eventually nods.

"Fine..."

I go inside the exam room and walk up to Sid. He detaches his glasses and puts them around his neck as he peers out of the room, looking at Reed. "You babysitting or something?"

"It's a long story" I tell him with a sigh. "Now, didn't you say you had something to tell me?"

"Right, right, okay. All joking aside, I did find something rather interesting about your John Doe that wasn't in my initial report."

"What is it?" I ask him as he brings his glasses back up his face.

"Well I found some bruising and swelling around the temporal lobe here. The cold temperature of the water must have kept the swelling down because I didn't notice it yesterday when I did my first examination. Anyway, I took a closer look at it and came to the conclusion that the official C.O.D. was actually blunt force trauma. Judging by the size and shape of the bruising, looks like it could be the butt of a gun. As far as I can tell the stab wounds came afterwards."

"That doesn't make any sense..." I start thinking out loud. "First of all, why stab someone at all if you have a gun? And why on earth would you stab them _after_ they're already dead?" I wonder to myself out loud, not really expecting an answer.

"Crime of passion perhaps?" Sid inquires. "Maybe they got into it; he kills him with the blow to the head, but still hasn't satisfied his rage, so stabs him a few times just to be certain."

"And takes the wallet to make us think it's your everyday robbery turned homicide." I continue, finishing Sid's theory. "So, who was this guy, and what did he do to warrant this kind of violent attack?" I wonder aloud again and Sid just offers a shrug.

"That's your job detective. My work here is done" He tells me with a smile as he pulls the sheet back up over the body.

"Thanks Sid" I remark as I grab the new file from the table and exit the exam room. As I walk back out into the hallway Reed is waiting for me with a curious grin on his face.

"That was awesome" he tells me and I just look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Awesome?" I ask. "Don't work with dead people Reed, it does weird things to you" I tell him as we both look back at Sid and laugh as we watch him singing to himself as he pushes the gurney with the body back to the morgue.

We head back to my office and I get to work on the large stack of paper work that covers nearly half of my desk. Reed just wanders around my office looking at everything. An hour goes by and although I can tell Reed is now bored as he sits on the couch in my office staring at the floor; I have to finish up with these case files before I can leave.

"Just putting the finishing touches on these case reports, then we can go grab some lunch." I tell him and he just offers a nod.

As I close up the last file, my phone starts buzzing. I pull it out and let out a heavy sigh as I see that it's a text from Chief Sinclair: _"Taylor, my office. Now!"_

"Oh great..." I mutter to myself and Reed looks up at me. "I'm sorry Reed, I have something I have to take care of. Wait for me here, I won't be too long."

"Okay" he agrees and I leave the office.

...

[Reed's POV]

I can only assume that the message Mac got is from this Sinclair guy everyone keeps talking about. Whoever he is he must be some kind of big shot around here. So far from what I can tell Mac seems to be in charge of just about everyone in this place, so this guy must be pretty high up there in the chain of command.

The morning was pretty interesting, as I got to see a lot of what goes on around here; however I've been bored out of my mind for the last hour or so. I know Mac told me to stay here, but I figure I can step out for a few minutes and be back before he returns.

I head to the other side of the building and down the stairs to the holding cells. I just want to check on Bobby and make sure he's alright. I walk up to the clerk and am thankful that it's not the same guy as yesterday, so he won't recognize me.

"Can I help you son?" The clerk asks me.

"Yeah, I need to see Bobby Rolston. I'm his brother. Detective Weiss told me I would find him here" I figure if I throw Weiss' name around that might help get me in to see him.

"His brother you say?"

"Yes sir. Please, I just need a minute."

The clerk gets out from behind his desk, and quickly pats me down and searches me. "You've got one minute!" He tells me as he leads me to the holding cell.

I walk up to see Bobby alone in the cell. "Rolston! You've got a visitor!" the clerk yells and Bobby looks up at me. "One minute!" the clerk reminds me again and I nod as he walks back to his desk.

"Reed, what the hell are you doing here?" Bobby whispers, walking up to the front of the cell.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I had to come down here with my... with Mac and fill out a statement or something. Now I think he's in big trouble for taking me out of here yesterday."

"Yeah, well he's not the only one in trouble for you getting out of here!" he replies back to me and I look at him in curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"It's L.J. man, he's got this whole conspiracy theory worked out in his head and he's looking for you."

"What? Me? What did I do?" I ask with my voice slightly raised.

"He thinks you set him up. I'm sorry man, he knows about your dad or whatever he is. I wasn't gonna tell him anything, but let's just say he twisted my arm" he tells me as he pulls down his shirt at his shoulder and I can see that it's clearly dislocated.

"Oh, Bobby, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. I'm safe in here. It's you I'm worried about. L.J. lawyered up and was released on bail this morning. Seriously man, you have to be careful."

"Time's up!" I hear the clerk yell.

"Thanks for the heads up Bobby, but I guess I gotta go." I tell him as I start to walk away.

"Reed!" He yells and I turn back to face him. "Be careful!"

"I will" I assure him as I head back towards the stairs.

I make my way back to Mac's office and tell myself along the way that I'm not gonna waste any time looking over my shoulder for this guy. If he knows about Mac, how stupid would he have to be to come after me? Just empty threats, I assure myself. I'm not going to tell Mac about this, as I'm sure he'll just over react; probably change my name to Mohammed, throw me into the witness protection program and ship me off to Africa. Ok, maybe that's stretching it a little... But regardless, I don't want to worry him over nothing. I've put him through enough. I quickly make my way back to his office, and am relieved that I got back before he did.

---

****So, what do you think so far? Reviews are GREATLY appreciated! :)**

**PS- don't worry, I didn't forget about Stella ;) she'll be back in the next chapter.**

**COMING UP NEXT: The showdown between Mac and Chief Sinclair!****


	6. Chapter 6

[Mac's POV]

I walk down the hallway and continue to tell myself over and over to keep my temper in check. Not always an easy task for me, especially when it comes to dealing with office politics. The chief and I rarely see eye to eye, and I've never been one to back down from challenging his authority, especially when it comes to looking out for my team.

As I reach Sinclair's office, I knock on the door before pushing it open and poking my head inside. "You wanted to see me Chief?" I ask as I peer inside.

"Mac, have a seat" he begins calmly; as he gestures for me to take a seat across from him at his desk.

"No thanks, I'll stand" I reply and he offers a slight glare. "What's this about?" I ask, even though I know exactly why I'm here.

"Who's this Reed Garrett kid?"

"Um, I believe he's a witness to a 319 they had yesterday. Not sure, not my department Chief." I tell him coyly; and his glare becomes more intense.

"Don't get cute with me Taylor!" He snaps back at me. "I know you signed off as his legal guardian. I also know you went against protocol and had him released yesterday without authorization from Weiss. Now I'll ask you again, who the hell is Reed Garrett? And what's he got to do with you?" He asks, his voice now shouting so loud that I'm sure half the department heard him.

"He's my stepson..." I tell him and he looks at me beyond confused.

"Your what? Since when do you have a stepson?"

"Since... Tuesday." I reply with a shrug and I can tell he's not amused with me.

"I'm warning you Taylor! I'm not in the mood for this!"

"It's the truth Chief" I begin with a soft sigh. I knew it was only a matter of time before I was going to have to tell him everything. "Claire gave him up for adoption before we met. He came looking for her and found me instead. I just met him."

"Then why the hell did you even get involved in this mess?" he asks angrily.

"Because I didn't have a choice!" I shout back at him. "Look, the kid has nobody. He doesn't have a family, doesn't have home. And as if his life wasn't crappy enough, I had the added pleasure of having to tell him that his mother died" I continue in a much softer tone. "He's a good kid, just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." I tell him as I watch him let out a soft sigh and look down at his desk. I know I should probably quit while I'm ahead, but as usual, my anger get's the better of me. "Now, unless you're going to suspend me; if you'll excuse me I need to get back to work."

The glare is back again as he looks up at me "Don't push me Taylor!" he counters.

"Anything else I can do for you Chief?" I ask bitterly.

"Yeah. Get the hell out of my office!" he shouts.

"Always a pleasure Chief..." I throw back at him as I leave his office, slamming the door shut behind me.

I'm sure I haven't heard the last from him on this one, but that should hold him off for now. I make my way to the other side of the building and walk through the halls of the lab back to my office. I run into Stella in the hallway and I'm glad to see a friendly face.

"Mac!" she says as she greets me with a smile.

"Hey" I reply with a slight frown.

"Is everything okay? I heard Sinclair was out looking for blood... Yours inparticular."

"Geez, word travels fast around here" I respond with a sigh.

"Yeah, well, you know how it is. So, what happened?"

"You don't want to know" I assure her.

"Let me guess... he confronted you about Reed and you blew up at him right?"

"Sometimes I don't know why you bother even wasting your breath asking me things" I reply with a grin.

"Ugh, Mac... What am I going to do with you?" she asks as she shakes her head in frustration. "You know you're only going to stir up more trouble for yourself right?"

"I can handle Sinclair. It's fine." I tell her and she playfully rolls her eyes at me and grins slightly. "Are you working on anything right now?" I ask.

"No. Why do you have something? I'm starting to go stir crazy in my office. Tell me you have something." She asks in anticipation.

"Yeah, an invitation" I tell her and she arches an eyebrow and looks at me confused. "Lunch" I continue. "I was just about to take Reed out to grab something. Why don't you come with us?"

"Oh, it's okay. I don't want to impose on your-" she starts but I quickly interrupt.

"It's fine." I assure her. "Besides, I'd like you to get to know him a bit. He's a good kid. I think he's even starting to warm up to me a bit. We can actually get through a conversation without him rolling his eyes at me now, so I think I'm getting somewhere" I tell her with a grin and I see a smirk creeping on her lips. "Alright, go ahead and say it..." I tell her with a sigh.

"Say what?" she asks, the smirk growing bigger.

"You know exactly what."

"Oh, I hate to say 'I told you so' Mac..."

"No you don't" I counter and she laughs.

"Fine. I told you so!" she replies and we both let out a chuckle.

"Just for that, you're buying lunch!" I tell her with a smirk and she laughs again as we begin walking towards my office.

[Reed's POV]

Mac returns to his office with his partner in tow, and they're smiling and laughing as they come inside. I can't help but smile and feel relieved. I thought for sure Mac would come back here in a foul mood after his meeting. I still think there's more between him and his partner than he's letting on, but maybe he feels I might resent him for it or something because of my mother. That's hardly the case, but I still think I'll keep my suspicions to myself.

"Reed, you remember Stella" he asks me as they notice me sitting on the couch.

"Of course" I respond and offer her a smile.

"She's going to join us for lunch, if that's okay"

"Yeah, for sure" I tell him as I get up from the couch. She seems to be pretty nice, and Mac is noticeably happier when she's around.

He grabs his jacket from the coat rack beside his desk when his phone starts to ring again.

"Taylor. –Hey Adam- Really? Ok, I'll be right there." He sighs and puts his phone back in his pocket. "Sorry guys, I just need a couple minutes then we can go. I'll be right back."

Stella and I just nod as he walks out of the office and down the hallway, leaving us alone in his office.

"So..." she begins as she looks at me with a warm smile. "Did Mac show you around yet?"

"Yeah, a bit this morning"

"What do you think? Think you'll wanna follow in your da—... in Mac's footsteps?" She quickly catches herself.

"I don't know" I tell her with a shrug. "It is pretty cool in here"

As we make small talk for a few minutes while waiting for Mac to come back I can't help but let out a long yawn, my caffeine fix now starting to wear off. Stella notices and lets out a chuckle "Get used to early mornings if you're staying with Mac" she warns me with a smile.

"Yeah, I was afraid of that..." I respond and she laughs again.

"What's so funny?" I hear Mac's voice from behind us and turn to see him entering the office again.

"Oh, nothing..." I reply as I smile at Stella and she winks at me.

Mac just shakes his head and opens the door for us and we all head out of the office.

"You guys better not start ganging up on me." I hear him mutter to Stella as he playfully nudges her arm with his elbow.

"Now you're just getting paranoid" she replies with a grin as she swats his arm and he laughs.

I smile starts to form on my lips and I can't believe how much I'm enjoying spending time with Mac. I'm thankful now that he was persistent enough to not give up on me after I basically told him I wanted nothing to do with him. I definitely consider myself lucky for that.

We head to a quaint Italian restaurant for lunch. We engage in some light small take and share a few laughs as we enjoy our meals. I like Stella, she doesn't offer any judgement towards me, and doesn't grill me about my past. She seems genuinely interested in anything I have to say and it takes me no time at all to feel comfortable around her. I can see why Mac likes having her around; she's easy to talk to and has a very warm personality.

After we finish our meals and wait for the bill to come, Mac starts filling Stella in on his latest case. I'm completely fascinated and intrigued as I listen to the details of the case. The way they talk about it so calmly, like they've seen it a hundred times before only intrigues me further. I listen closely while they bounce theories and hunches off of each other and I'm overcome with a feeling that I've never been too familiar with; pride. I would be proud to consider Mac my family, although I can't offer him anything in return compared to what he can; and already has offered me. I can only hope he's starting to feel the same connection that I am, and that we will remain a part of each other's lives; even after this mess is all over.

...

[L.J.'s POV]

I pace my living room floor in frustration and anticipation as I wait for the information I'm seeking. "Find anything yet?!" I yell to the nervous kid who sits at my computer, trying to find anything he can on this _Taylor_ guy.

"Couple things..." he begins as he scrolls down the computer screen. "Looks like he's the head crime scene investigator... Nothing to worry about, just a science geek by the looks of it."

"Good. I don't need some hero cop with a God complex coming after me."

"So, what are you gonna do?" he asks me.

"Just let me worry about that." I reply with a grin as I grab a jacket and head outside.

I get into my car and head towards the police building. My plan is to stake the place out until he comes out, then I'll trail him to find out where he lives. With Bobby still in lock up, this Reed kid probably has nowhere else to stay, so if I'm lucky Taylor will lead me right to him.

Unfortunately for me, being the impatient man that I am; I should have stuck around a couple minutes longer and I would have found out that this cop is a former marine, and a local hero within the NYPD. Not just the science geek I originally anticipated.

So, oblivious to all this knowledge I make my way to the police station and crouch down in my seat as I wait impatiently for him to emerge from the building.

The wheels in my head begin to turn as I think about what I'm going to do when I finally get my hands on this kid...

****Well? Thoughts so far? I know this chapter was a little short, but I promise to update more soon.**

**Sorry if Reed seemed a little too sappy there near the end, but I think it's important for what happens later in the story as L.J. catches up with him. Stay tuned for the next chapter XD****


	7. Chapter 7

****Okay, I couldn't log on for like 2 days for some reason, so I had time to write another chapter before I even posted the last one, so you get 2 chapters in one day ******** Enjoy!****

[Stella's POV]

I'm so glad that Mac invited me to have lunch with him and Reed. After spending time with him I have to agree with Mac, he really is a good kid. A little shy at first, but in no time at all we were all talking and laughing and having a good time. I can only hope that this is just the first of many get-togethers we will have. I love watching Mac and Reed interact with each other. I can see a bond beginning to form between them; and I am proud of both of them. It couldn't have been easy for either of them these last couple days, but I'm glad to see them working through it as well as they have been.

As we exit the restaurant and head towards Mac's truck, he begins to explain to Reed that he has some more work to finish up at the lab.

"I'm going to drop you off back at my place Reed" he tells him as we climb into the cab of the truck.

"Alright" he complies with a shrug. Truth be told, I think the poor kid is probably exhausted anyway. He seemed less than amused by Mac's early morning wake up call.

We pull up in front of Mac's building and he hands Reed his spare key.

"You okay to get in?" he asks him as he stops the truck.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Reed tells him as he's about to get out.

"Well I won't be home too late. Make yourself at home. You can watch TV in the living room, or whatever you want." Mac continues.

"You mean the _waiting_ room?" Reed asks with a slight grin.

"Very funny" Mac responds sarcastically as he looks over at me and I can only offer a confused expression on my face, as I have no idea what they're talking about.

"He thinks my apartment looks like a dentist office" Mac explains to me and I can't help but laugh.

"Well, it's a _little_ cold... could use some... brightening maybe" I respond with a smirk and Mac is quick to roll his eyes at me.

"What did I tell you guys about ganging up on me?" Mac asks with a smirk and I just wink at Reed as he laughs.

"Well I think I'll get outta here now before I get into any more trouble" Reed mentions jokingly as he climbs out of the truck.

We wait for a few moments to watch to make sure he gets in alright before we pull away.

"Thanks for letting me tag along Mac" I mention with a smile and he offers me one back.

"Of course. So, what do you think of him?" he asks.

"You were right, he's great"

"I told you so..." he lightly teases.

"Ah, feels good doesn't it?" I ask him and he nods.

"I just wanted to be able to say it once" he tells me with a grin.

"Well don't get used to it, that's my line." I throw back at him and he can't help but chuckle as he shakes his head.

...

We get back to the lab and try and piece together the little information we have on Mac's 'John Doe' case. After a couple hours of hitting nothing but brick walls in the case we finally catch a break when Adam gets a hit in the missing person's database.

"His name is Matthew Davis" Adam begins to explain to us as he pulls up the case file on his computer. We quickly scan over his picture and conclude that it is in fact our 'John Doe'.

Mac quickly pulls out his phone and dials Flack. He fills him in on all the details so that he can go to inform the man's unsuspecting widow, and hopefully gets some information about who would want this man dead.

"I can finish up here if you want to get home" I tell Mac as we head back into his office.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

"Yeah, yeah" I assure him. "Besides, not much else we can do until we get Flack's report from the wife."

"Thanks Stell" he responds with a warm smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

He throws on his jacket and exits his office, and I return to mine to finish off some paperwork.

...

[Mac's POV]

Home on time for dinner, that's unusual for me. Not that I'm complaining, I love my work and couldn't imagine doing anything else, even though it can get stressful at times. Although it's a nice feeling to know that I actually have a reason to be home at a decent hour now. Before Reed came along, all the people I cared about were the people I work with.

_If my mind wasn't so consumed with my own thoughts, I probably would have noticed the car that has been following me since I left the office. Unfortunately I'm not my usual observant self, as I hurry home to spend time with Reed._

I reach my apartment building and head inside. As I near my apartment door I hear a familiar sound coming from inside that's not the television. I push the door open and peer inside the living room and spot Reed sitting on a chair plucking away at my bass guitar. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but I find it amusing to watch him anyway. He hasn't noticed me yet, so I watch him for a few moments before I let my presence known.

"You ever play before?" I finally ask him and he jumps slightly. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you"

"Mac! I'm sorry." He begins nervously as he goes to tuck the guitar back into the case. "I know, I should've asked first..."

"Reed, I'm not mad." I assure him with a smile.

"Oh... you're not?" He asks, almost sounding confused.

"No" I lightly scoff. "So, have you ever played before?" I ask him again.

"Nah, never. I just thought it was cool"

"Maybe I could show you sometime." I tell him and a smile instantly forms on his lips.

"I'd like that" he responds and I smile back at him.

"Well, there's not much for food in the house..." I begin. "I was going to stop at the market, but I figured you might want to come with me, that way you can pick out whatever you like"

"Okay" he replies with a nod and grabs for his sweater.

We head outside and into the truck to make our way to the supermarket. Along the way he asks about the case, and if there were any new developments. It amuses me to see him so interested in my work, so I reward him with the little information we found today and it's more than enough to satisfy him. Wish I could say the same for myself. Regardless, I decide not to let work bother me tonight. Usually I allow it to consume my every waking moment, whether I'm at the office or at home. Now I feel I have something else to look forward to.

...

[L.J.'s POV]

I'm sure I remained unnoticed as I stayed a few cars back following Detective Taylor back to his home. Nice place, I think to myself as we pull into the parking lot. I watch him as he heads inside alone, and I fear I will have a long night ahead of me waiting for him to emerge again. Much to my surprise, within minutes he's back outside heading for his truck with his precious _Reed_ in tow. I watch them closely as they walk towards his truck, talking and laughing. I find it harder and harder to believe Bobby's story that they just met each other. Doesn't seem very likely to me.

I decide to wait here, and not to follow them now. Wherever they're going I'm sure they'll be back soon, and I want to get Reed alone. Not that this Taylor guy scares me, I just don't need the added trouble. The kid is the one I'm after.

...

[Reed's POV]

"I should warn you," Mac begins to tell me as we push the cart through the aisles of the supermarket; "I'm not much of a cook..."

"Is that why the only thing in your fridge is condiments and take-out containers?" I ask with a slight chuckle and he just grins and nods at me.

"Don't worry about it Mac, I can cook" I assure him and he looks at me in wonder.

"Really? You cook?"

"Yep" I respond quickly. "I've been pretty much taking care of myself since I was 10 years old, you pick up a few things along the way when you need to" I tell him.

"Well that's good to know, otherwise we'd be eating spaghetti-o's all week" he tells me and I can't help but laugh. "I'm not kidding" he continues with a grin.

We continue down the aisles, and I start picking up items that I could easily prepare a meal with and start tossing them into the cart.

As we grab the last few items we head to the checkout where a young girl smiles at us as we approach the register. She has long blond hair and green eyes, and can't be much older than I am. Whoever she is, I can't stop smiling at her, but I quickly snap back into reality as she opens her mouth to speak.

"Good evening Detective Taylor" She greets Mac with a warm smile.

_They know each other?_ I ask myself inside.

"Hey Cassie" He responds with a nod.

"Well, well, well" She begins as she starts passing the items under the scanner. "Some real food items this time. Not just the usual milk, corn flakes and coffee. I'm impressed. Special occasion?" She asks with an arched eyebrow; and I can only assume they must just know each other from seeing each other here.

"Sort of..." Mac replies hesitantly. "I have a house guest..." he begins as he gestures towards me. "This is my stepson, Reed. Reed, this is Cassie" he tells her, and I can see she's a little thrown at first by the word stepson, but she plays it off politely and just offers me a smile.

"Oh, okay. Well it's nice to meet you Reed"

I instantly feel nervous as she smiles at me and I can feel my face being to turn a light shade of red. Mac is quick to notice my awkwardness and thankfully pulls the attention away from me.

"So have you finally decided on a school for September?" He asks, changing the subject and I feel relieved.

"Yeah, I've decided to stay here and go to NYU"

"Well that's great Cass" he tells her with a smile as she passes the last remaining items under the scanner.

"Do you go to school here Reed?" She inquires and I notice Mac is now the awkward one as I can tell he's realizing he doesn't even know if I go to school, let alone _which_ school.

"I'm actually going into my last year of high school this fall" I tell her, slightly stammering as I'm still nervous to talk to her. Pretty girls like her have never bothered to give me the time of day before.

"Oh, okay" she responds with a smile and tells Mac the total of the sale. He hands her his credit card and once the bill is paid we scoop up the bags of groceries, and say goodnight to Cassie as we head out into the parking lot.

As we walk towards the truck I can see Mac out of the corner of my eye looking at me with a curious grin on his face.

"What?" I finally ask him.

"Nothing..." he darts the question.

"What Mac?" I ask again.

"You kinda like her." He lightly teases with a smirk and I feel my face getting flushed again.

"Whatever..." Is all I manage to come up with as we reach the truck and put the groceries inside.

"She's a nice girl" Mac begins as he puts the truck in drive and we head back to his place.

"Well Stella's a nice woman..." I counter and he turns to look at me with an arched eyebrow. "There, how do you like it?" I ask him with a smirk.

"I told you, Stella and I are friends. That's all." He tries to convince me.

"Okay Mac, whatever you say..." I respond with a light chuckle and I can see an amused grin starting to form on his lips.

...

[Mac's POV]

I'm not sure why Reed still hasn't let this Stella thing go, but I don't let it bother me. Besides, I'd be a lucky guy to be with a woman like her. My biggest fear is that an intimate relationship would ruin our otherwise perfect friendship, and that is something I hold so dear that I couldn't consider risking. _Like she'd go for me anyway;_ I tell myself, quickly pushing the thought out of my head and forcing my mind back to reality.

"So 'Wolfgang', what's for dinner?" I ask Reed, breaking the silence.

"Hmmm..." he begins, thinking out loud. "Chicken stir fry?" he asks.

"Sounds great"

We reach home and head into the apartment, where we begin putting the groceries away. Once everything is in its proper place Reed begins wandering throughout the kitchen in search of everything he will need to prepare dinner.

"I got this Mac" he assures me as he pulls out a frying pan and places it on the stove.

"Okay, I'm going to go shower then" I tell him and he just nods.

...

After my shower I join Reed in the kitchen just as he's putting the stir fry onto plates for us.

"Just in time" he tells me as he passes me one of the plates and we head to the table and sit down to enjoy our meal.

"This is really good!" I exclaim as I take my first bite.

[Reed's POV]

"Thanks" I reply as I slowly enjoy my dinner. I can feel Mac's eyes watching me as I eat, probably wondering why I'm not shovelling the food down my throat in haste as he normally sees me do. Truth is, I'm not used to 3 square meals a day, so I'm not as hungry as I usually am, but this is definitely something I'd like to become accustomed to.

After we finish dinner I offer to help clean up, but Mac insists he'll do it because I cooked. I retire to the living room and let out a heavy sigh as I slump down onto the couch and turn on the TV. For the first time in a long while my stomach feels full, and now my tiredness begins to catch up with me.

[Mac's POV]

I finish tidying up the kitchen after dinner and head out to the living room where I find Reed sound asleep on the sofa. I turn off the TV and go to his room to grab a blanket. I carefully throw the blanket over him, trying not to wake him. He just groans slightly as he pulls the blanket up to his neck and rolls over to the other side of the couch.

"Goodnight Reed" I whisper into the room as I turn off the light and head down the hallway to my bedroom.

The only thoughts that run through my mind as I lie awake in bed are that when this is all over Reed might want to go back to his old life; one without me in it. I hate to think it, but it worries me nonetheless. I know it hasn't been long since we first met, but I have really enjoyed having him around. I decide I'm going to make the most of whatever time we have together, and hope that it will be enough to make him want to stay after we get through this whole mess.

And with that thought I shut my eyes and am pulled into a heavy sleep.

...

[Reed's POV]

I let out a long groan as I stretch my arms over my head I open my eyes and notice that I had fallen asleep on the sofa. I feel oddly well rested and begin to wonder what time it is. I push myself up from the sofa and go in search of Mac. No sign of him anywhere as I head to the kitchen and look at the clock on the wall. 10:15, wow. Apparently I was tired. I look over to the coffee maker and I notice a piece of paper stuck to it. I reach for paper and read the note left for me:

"_Reed – Didn't want to wake you, thought you could use the rest. I had to go to work but my cell # is on the fridge if you need anything don't hesitate to call. Check your room; I left you my credit card. Looks like it might be a while before Bobby gets out and you're going to need some clothes and things while you're here. I left some cash as well for a cab, the door man will call for one for you to take you to the mall. And before you protest, if you don't go willingly; I'm going to do your shopping for you, and trust me I think fashion has changed slightly since I was your age. So, unless you want to end up walking around like Corey Haim in "The Lost Boys" I suggest you don't fight me on this. Get whatever you need, don't even look at price tags. Have fun, Mac."_

I can't help but laugh out loud as I read the last couple lines. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel at least a little uncomfortable about spending Mac's money, but I can appreciate the gesture. I know he's right; I am in desperate need of some new clothes, and some personal hygiene products. I can't even stand to look at the sweater I'm wearing anymore. After grabbing the credit card and cash off the nightstand in the spare room I quickly head to the bathroom to wash my face; then slip my shoes on and grab my key and I'm out the door.

As I reach the lobby the door man greets me as I walk up to him.

"Good morning Mr. Garrett. Did you need a taxi this morning?" he asks me with a polite smile.

"Yes please" I tell him as I head out to the front steps to wait for my ride.

[L.J.'s POV]

I can't tell if my tired eyes are playing tricks on me or not, so I rub them once again and lean forward in my seat and peer through the windshield. Yep, that's him, I tell myself as I shift in my seat and give my head a shake, trying to keep myself awake and alert. I saw Taylor leave early this morning and his truck is still gone, so I know wherever Reed is going he will be alone. I'm hoping wherever he's headed its somewhere not too public, but I'll worry about that when the time comes. I wait patiently for him to start walking, but he just remains on the steps of the building. Waiting for a taxi maybe? Hopefully not waiting for Taylor... Regardless, I'll wait until he's on the move; nice place like this probably has security cameras and I don't want to risk anything yet.

After a few short minutes a taxi pulls up to the doors of the building and Reed gets inside. I quickly start my car and begin following after him.

...

[Reed's POV]

Once inside the cab I ask the driver to take me to the nearest mall and I can't help but feel a smile tugging at my lips. It's nice to know that Mac trusts me enough to just give me his credit card. I would never take advantage of his generosity, but it feels good to know that he knows that as well.

As we reach the mall and the cab stops I hand him some of the cash Mac had given me and head inside. I take a minute to look around in amazement. This place is huge, and I don't even know where to start. I walk through the seemingly endless corridors of the mall, glancing into almost every store.

My first stop is to a drug store, as I know I need some personal items. I head down the aisles grabbing a toothbrush, deodorant, and some soap and shampoo. I load it all into the basket I grabbed from the front of the store and stop to linger in the cologne section for a moment. I smell a couple of bottles and when I find one I like I give myself a couple sprays. I won't buy the bottle, it's not something I _need_ so I put it back on the shelf and head to the checkout.

I exit the drug store and notice a small coffee shop across the way. Being in the anxious rush I was in this morning, I had forgotten to make myself a cup so I head over and order one. As I wait at the end of the counter for my coffee I look out into the open food court. There aren't a lot of people here yet, but I guess that's because it's still early in the day.

"Reed?" I hear a familiar voice behind me calling my name and I offer a shocked expression as I quickly turn around.

**---**

****Sorry to leave you hanging like this... More to come soon! Hit me up with some reviews XD****


	8. Chapter 8

[Reed's POV]

As I quickly turn around, I notice a face that I'm more than glad to see.

"Cassie! Hey" I greet her with a smile and she offers one back. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, shopping..." she responds, and I feel like an idiot.

"Of course, sorry... that was a stupid question." I mumble nervously and she just giggles.

"Actually," she begins. "I came here with my friend, but then her boyfriend showed up and I kinda got ditched, so now I'm by myself."

I quickly push my fears of rejection aside and decide to jump on this opportunity. "I'm actually by myself too. And, I've never been here before, so I have no idea where I'm going" I tell her in truth, letting out a nervous laugh. "Do you want to, uh..." I start stammering again and she smiles at my nervousness.

"Sure" she quickly tells me and I start to feel my heart rate return to a normal pace.

"Great. Where do you wanna go?" I ask her, because again, I don't know where I'm going.

"I don't know... I was really just coming here because my friend wanted to come. I have no real shopping agenda. But my parents won't be home for a few hours, so I don't have a ride home. So I was kinda stuck here. What are you here for?"

"I was just going to look for some new clothes. The uh, the airport lost my luggage..." I begin to tell her. I feel bad for lying to her, but I'm definitely not ready to tell her the truth about where I came from, and why I'm staying with Mac.

"So, Mac is your stepdad?" she asks with a curious tone, and I fear there are a lot more questions coming that I don't want to answer yet, so I make up a quick back story and hope she puts it to rest after that.

"Yeah, it's kind of a long story, but after my mom died my biological father took custody of me, so I had to move to Miami to be with him. But once I turned 16, according to the courts, I'm old enough to decide who I want to live with so I finished out the school year, then came back here to stay with Mac."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry..." she begins, obviously feeling bad for my situation; which for the most part isn't even true; and that's the last thing I need, somebody else to feel sorry for me.

"Oh, don't be" I quickly assure her. "It's all good now."

"Yeah, I mean I only know him through our weekly interactions at the store, but Mac seems to be a pretty nice guy." She tells me with a smile.

"Yeah, he's great" I reply in truth. "So," I begin, changing the subject. "Where should we go first?"

"Oh, so I'm the tour guide now?" she teases and I can't help but laugh.

"Think of it more like my personal shopper..." I begin with a grin "I've been wandering around aimlessly for the last half hour, clearly I need help."

"Alright, but under one condition" She tells me, and my curiosity grows.

"Okay, what?"

"You're not allowed to criticize anything I pick out for you"

"Deal" I tell her with a nod. She could pick out overalls and a straw hat and I would wear it if she asked me to. Oh God, I'm in trouble...

We wander into a preppy clothing store and she instantly starts gathering items up into her arms. I don't normally shop in stores like this, but that's mostly because I could never afford it. I'm glad I ran into her, I'm not a very good shopper. Don't normally have the patience for it, but she makes it fun as she holds shirts up against my chest, imaging how they would look on me.

"This one brings out your eyes" she says with a soft smile as she holds a light blue polo shirt against me. Is she flirting with me? Probably not, I'm not that lucky.

"What do you think?" she asks me, forcing my mind back to reality.

"Oh, I don't know... but I like it" I tell her with a reassuring smile.

"Come on," she tells me as she grabs my hand and starts dragging me towards the back of the store. My heart rate climbing again as I feel the grasp of her warm hand on mine.

"Where are we going?" I ask her.

"_You_ are going to try these on" She tells me as we reach the change room and she lets go of my hand and throws all the items into my arms.

"I don't need to try –" I begin but she's quick to cut me off.

"Reed, how am I supposed to make a decision if I can't see what it looks like on you?"

"Fine" I finally comply as I let myself into one of the fitting rooms.

...

[L.J.'s POV]

As I stand in the stereo store across from the clothing store that Reed is in, I pretend to be an interested consumer so that they don't ask me to leave. I watch him inside the store and have to wonder to myself who this girl is that he's with. Whoever she is, it can only give me more leverage over Reed.

She probably doesn't know him very well. If she did I'm sure she wouldn't be wasting her time with him. _"You can take the boy out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the boy"_ I tell myself as I watch the girl parading him through the Abercrombie store. A store I'm sure he would normally never be seen in. He's clearly trying to impress this unsuspecting girl, which only makes it more enjoyable for me to think about the plan I have in store to ruin his life. The more he has to lose, the more compelled I become to make sure he loses it.

"Can I help you look for something sir?" A salesman's voice comes from behind me.

"No thanks" I begin as I watch Reed and his girl leave the store with their bags. "I found exactly what I'm looking for" I tell him with an evil grin as I head out of the store to continue following Reed.

...

[Reed's POV]

I'm having so much fun hanging out with Cassie; I don't really want it to end. As far as I can tell, she's having a good time with me too. At least, I can only hope she is.

"Shoes?" she asks me, once again pulling me from my own thoughts.

"What?" I ask, giving my head a shake. I'm too busy thinking about her to actually listen to her apparently.

"Shoes. Do you need shoes?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

She leads me into a new store and over to the back wall where there are hundreds of different shoes to choose from. I just look at her with a confusing shrug.

"Wow, you really do need a personal shopper don't you?" she asks me with a smirk.

"I told you..."

She picks out a few different styles, and hands them to me to choose the one that I like best. I take the black pair of skate shoes and try them on. Perfect.

"I like those ones" she assures me, and I'm instantly sold.

"Great, I'll take these ones then" I tell the associate that was bringing me sizes and he carries the box up to the register for me.

I pay for the shoes and we exit the store. I have one more task on my agenda; I'm in desperate need of a haircut. She leads me to barber shop and we share a few laughs while flipping through the hairstyle magazines and pointing out only the most ridiculous styles we can find. Finally they're ready for me and I get into the chair and tell the stylist that I just need a trim.

About 15 minutes later I'm all set and when I climb out of the chair and back over to Cassie she smiles at me. "Wow! You look great!" she tells me and I quickly turn to pay my bill before she notices my face turning a light shade of red.

As we exit the barber shop, I start to feel nervous again as I realize I have completed all my shopping, but am not ready to part ways with Cassie. Should I ask her to have lunch? Is that lame? Probably. Instead I tell her that I'm thirsty, as we approach an Orange Julius stand. This way maybe we'll have a chance to sit down and talk for a bit without it seeming awkward. We order our smoothies and take a seat at one of the nearby tables.

"So," I begin, trying to figure out something interesting to talk about. "What are you going to school for?"

"Well, I haven't actually picked a major yet, but I'm starting out in General Applied Sciences, that way I can kind of get a little taste of everything the field has to offer, than make my decision from there."

"Oh, okay" I reply with a nod as I take another sip of my drink.

"You think I'm a geek right?" she asks with a slight frown.

"No, no. Of course not. I've always kind of been into science too. Well, as much as anyone can be _into_ school work..." I continue with a chuckle and she smiles.

"Yeah, I get what you mean"

"Hey, do you want to go somewhere with me?" I ask her as an idea pops into my head. One I'm hoping is a lot less lame by comparison to my earlier one.

"Okay... where?" she asks in curiosity.

"It's a surprise" I tell her with a smirk. "I trusted you, now you have to trust me."

"Alright, sure" she agrees.

"Ok, I just have to hit the bathroom first, I'll be right back."

"Okay" she tells me and I get up from the table and head to the bathroom.

...

Once I'm finished going to the bathroom, I decide to change into one of my new outfits. The clothes I'm wearing now are beyond dirty, and I hate looking like this in front of Cassie. I put on a pair of jeans, my new shoes, and the blue polo shirt she picked out. I think it's her favourite.

I walk over to the sink and begin washing my hands. As I turn off the taps and raise my head up to look in the mirror, the smile that was on my face instantly turns to a look of horror as I see the reflection of L.J. standing behind me.

Before I have a chance to do anything he quickly puts his hand over my mouth and drags me into one of the stalls. Once inside the stall he slams me face first into the back of the door. I let out a cry of pain, but its only muffled noise with his hand over my mouth. He then quickly whips me around to face him.

"Be quiet, do you understand me?" he growls at me as he lifts up his t-shirt to reveal a small gun tucked into his pants. I offer a quick nod and he takes his hand away from my mouth.

"Now I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen. Got it?" He asks and I nod again.

"I know it was you that set me up" he begins and I instinctively react to his false accusations.

"No, I swear, I –" I start, but he quickly shuts me up by slamming my head against the door again.

"Apparently you don't listen very well!" He snaps at me, grasping tightly onto my shirt while he keeps me trapped up against the door.

"No wonder all your parents are either dead or walked out on you!" he growls and my eyes instantly begin to water.

"That's right, I know all about you. What I don't understand is why a good contributor to society like Taylor would even bother with a worthless little screw-up like you. But, I'll guess he'll pay for that mistake soon enough"

"No, please!" I beg, not able to hold myself back any longer.

"Shut up!" he yells as his grip on my shirt gets tighter.

"So, you want to spare Daddy dearest? Well isn't that sweet. The street kid with a heart of gold. I suggest if you don't want any trouble for Taylor then you do exactly what I tell you. Do you understand me?" he asks me and I just nod. I won't risk opening my mouth again.

"Alright. Midnight tonight, meet me at this address, and come alone" he warns as he shoves a small piece of paper into my pocket.

"And if you tell anyone about this; especially Taylor, not only will I kill you, but I'll kill him and maybe even your new little girlfriend. Just for fun..."

He loosens his grip from me rushes out of the bathroom. I can feel some blood dripping from my nose so I take my hand and wipe it away. Without even thinking that I'm wearing brand new clothes, I wipe the blood off of my hand with the inside of my shirt.

"_Oh, damn it!" _I curse at myself as I realize what I just did. Thankfully you can't see it on the outside of the shirt, so Cassie won't notice it. I take a minute to collect myself, and splash some water on my face. I pull the piece of paper out of my pocket and look at the address. I'm not too familiar with it, but I'm sure I'll find it.

Cassie's probably wondering what the hell I'm doing in here by now, I tell myself as I head towards the door.

I pull open the door to exit the washroom and Cassie is standing there waiting for me.

"Oh, you changed. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting..."

"I'll forgive you, but only because you picked _that_ shirt" she replies with a wink.

Still feeling my heart in my throat, and my body slightly trembling, I just stand in front of her in silence for a few moments, trying to pull myself together without letting on that something is wrong.

"Well...Didn't you say you had a surprise for me?" She asks with a shy grin.

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry." I start, fumbling over my words.

"Is everything okay Reed?" she asks, concerned.

"Absolutely" I lie, offering her a fake smile. "Let's go."

I decide to keep to my original plan from earlier, because I remember how she told me that her parents weren't home and I don't want risk her safety in any way by sending her home to be alone. Who knows what this creep L.J. is capable of. So, we head outside and I hail us a cab.

"Where to?" the drive asks as we climb into the back seat.

"New York Police Department, 64th precinct" I tell the driver and Cassie looks over at me in curiosity.

"You'll see" I tell her with a grin.

"Sure thing kid" The driver tells me as he pulls out of the mall parking lot and into the busy street.

She mentioned she's into science, so I figure she might be as intrigued as I am by Mac's lab. Although; I'm no longer trying to impress her because I don't want her to be caused any harm because of me, and I figure there's no place safer for us to be than the police department. At least until her parents get home, then I'll say goodbye to her, unfortunately for the last time; unbeknownst to her.

...

[Mac's POV]

I haven't heard from Reed yet today, but I'm hoping that's because he's out enjoying himself at the mall. Hopefully he took me up on my offer. I had to leave early this morning as I had to testify in a trial, so I thought I'd spare him another early morning wake up call and just let him sleep in. Back at the lab now I go in search of Stella so we can continue working on our current case.

...

As Stella and I flip through phone records; and some personal effects of Matthew Davis that Flack got a warrant for, we are unable to come up with much of value to our investigation. I let out a heavy sigh and shake my head in frustration.

"You're not giving up already I hope?" Stella asks as she walks over beside me and pats me on the shoulder.

"No..." I frown. "Just getting frustrated"

"Hey, there's always a connection right?" She quotes my own favourite motto back to me with a reassuring smile.

"I know, I know. Well, what else is left that we haven't already gone over a hundred times?"

"Maybe we should take a break" She begins. She can tell how frustrated I'm quickly becoming. "We can go get some lunch, then come back and look at this stuff with fresh eyes."

"Yeah, alright" I agree and we head out of the lab and towards my office so I can get my keys.

As we reach my office and head inside I walk over to my desk and open the top drawer to grab my keys. I notice a case file on my desk that wasn't there earlier, so I open it up and begin reading.

"Damn it!" I mutter to myself as I finish reading the file.

"What? What is it?" Stella asks as she walks closer to me.

"Sheldon's report on Davis; he was processing his clothes but apparently any piece of viable evidence that would have normally been there was washed away by the water" I answer her. "Back to square one I guess" I grumble as I slam the folder back down onto my desk.

"Come on Mac" she begins as she places a warm hand on my shoulder. "Fresh eyes remember?" she tells me, remindind me of our lunch plans and I nod in agreement.

"Okay, okay... You're right."

"What else is new?" she teases with a grin.

"You ready?" I ask her.

"Yeah, but you're not..." she tells me and I arch my eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm not?"

"Nope, come here" she tells me as she grabs onto my arm and turns me to face her.

"What?" I ask her in curiosity, and she just grins at me.

Without saying a word, she grabs a hold of my tie and begins loosening it. I almost forgot I was wearing it. I usually don't wear one to work anymore, but as I had court this morning, I had to wear it.

"No wonder you're so grumpy today" she quips as she continues to untie my tie.

I just smile and hold still while she finally pulls the tie apart from it's knot and takes it off. Just as she unbuttons the top button of my shirt to allow my neck to breathe we are interrupted by a knock at my office door. I turn to see who it is and I see Reed standing at my door with a huge grin on his face, and I know I'm going to hear about this later. I quickly take a step back from Stella, although I'm sure that just makes it look even worse than the innocent gesture it actually was. I signal for Reed to come inside and as he does I notice Cassie following closely behind him.

"Hey, um hope we're not interrupting anything..." Reed starts, his grin growing even bigger.

"No, not at all" I assure him as I clear my throat. "Cassie?" I ask, hoping to direct the attention off of Stella and I.

"Hey Detective Taylor" she greets me with a smile.

"Yeah," Reed begins explaining himself, "I ran into Cassie at the mall, she helped me pick out some clothes."

"I can see that" I respond as I glance at his much cleaner appearance.

"What do you think?" He asks, searching for my approval.

"Well, I like the shirt..." I begin

"Me too!" Cassie pipes up as she places a hand on his shoulder and squeezes it.

I offer a smirk in his direction and I know the ball is back in my court. Thankfully both women seem to be oblivious to our silly game.

"You know," I begin again. "I don't think I'll ever understand why you kids buy your pants with holes already in them..." I tell him, referring to the jeans that he's wearing and he and Cassie both laugh at me.

"And why are your shoes so big?" I continue, looking at the wide bulky shoes that he's wearing.

"That's the style Mac. They're skate shoes." He tells me, and it doesn't help me understand any.

"Skate shoes?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah, like for skateboarding"

"Oh, okay. You skateboard then?" I ask, thinking I've got the idea now.

"No..." he answers me as if I just asked a really stupid question, and I'm back to being confused again. I look at Stella and she just offers a shrug, she's as clueless as I am thankfully.

"You know what, it doesn't matter" I tell him with a shake of my head." As long as you had fun. Did you have fun?"

"Definitely" he responds as he looks to Cassie and smiles and she smiles back at him.

"I thought maybe we could let Cassie see a bit of the lab?" He asks me, and of course I would be glad to show her around.

"Sure" I tell them both with a smile.

"Can we hold off our lunch for a few minutes?" I ask, turning back to Stella.

"Yeah, of course" She replies with a warm smile. I think she's just as glad as I am to see Reed enjoying himself.

"Oh, sorry, you guys had plans?" Reed asks.

"No, it's no big deal" Stella assures him. "We were just going to grab some lunch. But why don't we show your friend around a bit then we can all go for lunch?" She asks and with a bright smile.

"Okay" Reed agrees. "Is that okay?" He asks, looking at Cassie.

"Sounds great!" Cassie answers.

We all exit my office and begin on our tour of the lab. Cassie seems to be just as enthralled with all the rooms and equipment as Reed was on his first day at the lab. Stella and I stand back and watch as they both marvel over a piece of equipment, and we can't help smile. I explain a few of the machines to them and they're both captivated and hanging on my every word.

We finish up the tour and decide to head out for lunch now. We get to my truck and Stella chooses a restaurant for us to go to, one slightly fancier than where we would usually go to. I think she's trying to help Reed score some points with Cassie.

Once we reach the restaurant and are shown to a table we all engage in some light conversation, as we try and get to know Cassie a little better. Stella begins a new conversation with Cassie and I look over at Reed and notice he seems rather distant, like his mind is somewhere else. I tell myself he's probably just nervous, and push the thought out of my head.

[Reed's POV]

As much as I'm trying to pretend I'm enjoying myself, I can't help but think about L.J. and his threats. After our encounter in the bathroom earlier I am certain that he's capable of much more than I originally anticipated. Still, I try not to let it show to anyone else, as I don't want them getting involved. Especially Mac. If I told him, he would go ballistic and I know he probably wouldn't think twice about putting his own life before mine.

Well I won't let myself be responsible for any harm to come to Mac or Cassie so I will keep my mouth shut, and live up to my end of the deal and meet L.J. tonight. _Alone._

**---**

****Ok people, thoughts so far? Still liking the story? I hope so! :D**

**Send me your reviews and you will soon be rewarded with a new chapter!! **

**(You give me my fix, and I'll give you yours. LOL)****

**PS – I'd also like to take this opportunity to shamelessly promote my youtube channel ;) If you like my fan fiction, hopefully you'll like my fan vids just as much :) **

**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/user/cardiffgiant01 (this site won't let me post actual links apparently)**

**I have a ton of CSI NY vids, some emotional, some action packed, some funny, lots of SMacked ones of course; and some other couples vids. Anyway, I strongly recommend you check out my latest one entitled "Will You Be There." It's posted on my channel. But feel free to roam around and check out my other vids. There's lots to choose from ;)**

**Oh, I also made a fake movie trailer involving Mac Stella and Reed; it's about Reed being kidnapped (hmmm, perhaps a little relevance to this story? LOL). It's called "Taxi [A CSI NY Movie]" It's posted my channel as well.**

**---**

**Thanks everyone! I'll stop bothering you now ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, the long awaited 9****th**** chapter. I know, I was probably spoiling you guys giving you 3 chapters in 2 days. This one took a little longer as I have been pretty busy, but if it's any consolation, it's considerably longer than most of the other chapters so far :)**

**Also, I'd like to give a shout out to all my faithful viewers/reviewers! Thanks for all the comments guys, you rock!!!**

**Ok, here we go, on with Chapter 9!**

[Mac's POV]

As we finish up our meals, Stella and Cassie both mention that they need to use the restroom, so I stand up from the table as they take their leave. Reed notices my gesture and gets up to do the same.

"What gentlemen we have here..." Stella tells Cassie with a wink, and Cassie smiles back at her.

"You know Cassie, that's a rare quality to find in a man these days" She tells her, this time winking at me. She's definitely trying to help Reed win this girl over, and I find it rather endearing of her.

As they vanish from our sights and into the bathroom, I look back across the table to Reed, who again seems to be off on some other planet.

"Hey... earth to Reed!" I begin, waving my hand in front of his face to pull him out of his thoughts.

"What? Sorry." He mumbles as he brings his focus back to me.

"Something wrong?" I ask in concern.

"No. Why would anything be wrong?" He says, answering my question with another.

"I don't know, you just seem like your somewhere else. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Mmm hmm" is all he responds with as he nods his head.

He's probably off in dream land thinking about Cassie, I assume to myself. Maybe he's embarrassed that they had to tag along with Stella and me for lunch. I hope that's not the case, but I remember myself being a teenager and being embarrassed by nearly everything my parents did. Regardless, I decide to shrug it off for now as we wait in silence for the girls to return.

A few moments later Stella and Cassie return and Reed and I stand up from the table as we all walk towards the exit. Reed walks slightly ahead of Stella and me with Cassie beside him and we both just watch with approving smiles.

"Does he seem off to you?" I whisper to Stella as we walk towards the truck.

"Probably just nervous" Stella assures me "Don't you remember being young and in love?" she asks with a smirk and I just laugh.

"Hardly" I respond in truth.

"Ugh, I know. Me either" she tells me, rolling her eyes and now laughing herself.

We finally get to the truck and all climb inside. I pause for a moment before starting the engine, as I realize I'm not sure where I'm going.

"Are your parent's home?" I hear Reed asking Cassie, and I'm unsure what he's getting at, but I safely assume he doesn't mean it in _that_ way.

"Ummmm..." she begins as she pulls her wrist up to look at her watch. "Yeah, they'll be back by now."

"Oh, okay, good." He tells her. "Mac, can we drop Cassie off at home?"

Before I have a chance to answer Cassie cuts me off.

"Oh, you don't have to; I can have my parents pick me up."

"No, its fine, Mac doesn't mind" Reed answers for me in haste. The truth is I don't mind at all, but I wonder why he's in such a hurry to get rid of her. _Oh teenagers, so confusing_. I think to myself.

"Okay, home it is." I respond. "Where to Cass?"

She tells me the address and we're on our way. As we pull into the parking lot of her apartment building, which isn't far from mine, I see Reed nervously scan the parking lot with his eyes. What is he looking for?

"This is it right?" I ask, now wondering if maybe I'm in the wrong place.

"Yep, home sweet home!" Cassie responds and Reed re-focuses his attention back to her. She gets out of the truck and for a moment Reed just sits still. I make a gesturing move with my head, signalling him to walk her inside. _Wow, I think he needs more help than I thought,_ I think to myself.

Reed gets out and hurries over to my side of the truck where Cassie is waiting.

"Well thanks again Detective Taylor, for everything" she offers with a smile.

"No problem at all. I'm glad you guys had fun today. And, call me Mac" I tell her with a wink and she smiles.

"Well, goodbye!" she replies with a wave as she turns to Reed and he gestures for them to walk inside.

[Reed's POV]

We get inside the lobby of her apartment building and I feel a hard lump in my throat again. I don't want to say goodbye to her, but know that I have to. It's for her own good. It's killing me inside to know that when I don't talk to her again after today, she might think it's something she did. I stand nervously in front of her with my hands shoved deep into my pockets, and I can't seem to pull my head up to look at her.

"Well..." she begins, forcing my eyes to hers. "Thanks for hanging out with me today... I had a lot of fun..." she tells me, sounding almost as nervous as I was when we first met.

"Yeah, me too..." I respond and a smile grows on her face.

"Well, I guess I should get upstairs"

"Oh, right. Okay..." I tell her as we both now stand awkwardly in front of each other.

"Ok, bye..." she tells me with her smile growing further but she still doesn't turn away from me.

I take a nervous step closer to her and open my arms to her and she walks into them, allowing me to offer her a quick hug. The embrace lingers on possibly a little longer than it should as I take the opportunity to smell her hair. _Pomegranate?_ Snap out of it Reed!

At least I got to hold her once, I tell myself before letting her go and taking a step back.

"Hugo Boss?" She asks me and I offer a completely bewildered expression. What is she talking about?

"Huh?" is all I manage to come up with. Well, that and a look of utter confusion.

"Your cologne" she answers with a smirk. "Is it Hugo Boss?"

"Oh!" I reply, feeling like an idiot once again. "Yeah..."

"I like it" she tells me with a wink, and I know I have to get out of here now before I never leave her side.

"Thanks... Well, I probably shouldn't keep Mac waiting. Thanks for all your help today. Bye."

And with that I quickly rush out the door and back to the truck. As I climb inside I see curious grins on both Mac and Stella's faces, but I'm not in the mood for this.

"Can we just go?" I ask in haste and their grins quickly turn to frowns as they take their glance from me back to each other.

"Okay..." is all Mac responds with and we leave the parking lot to head back to Mac's place so he can drop me off.

...

[Mac's POV]

"Ok, well I should be home by six" I tell Reed as I stop the truck in front of my building.

"Okay, thanks for lunch" he replies quickly and jumps out of the truck, not even bothering to say goodbye to Stella or myself.

We wait for him to get inside then I turn to Stella with a look of confusion. "Is that what we were like when we were 17?" I ask, trying to figure out why Reed seems so all over the map today.

"Oh probably" she tells me with a shrug.

I give my head a shake and pull the truck out of the parking lot and we head back to the lab.

...

As we reach the lab and I park the truck, my phone begins to ring before we have a chance to get out.

"Taylor."

"Mac, its Don. Listen, we might have caught a break on the Davis case." He begins, and I'm glad to re-focus my attention on work. Oddly it's a lot less confusing than trying to figure Reed out.

"Ok, what do you got?" I ask in haste, hoping we finally have a solid lead to go on.

"I was talking to some of the neighbours and a couple of them told me they heard a lot of fighting coming from Davis' apartment the night that he was killed. I asked Mrs. Davis about it and she denies it up and down. Neighbours say they're not sure who it was, but that there were definitely two male voices and one female."

"Okay, so Davis, the wife, and... perhaps our first suspect?"

"Well, it was enough to get a warrant on the security footage from outside the apartment building. I've already dropped it off for Adam; hopefully we can catch a glimpse of this guy"

"Great, Stella and I are at the lab now. We'll go track down Adam and see what he's come up with."

"Alright, keep me posted"

"Will do" I assure him as I hang up my phone and look over to Stella who's looking at me with anticipation.

I quickly fill her in on what Flack told me and we make our way inside the lab to go in search of Adam.

We head into the A/V lab where we see Adam looking at the computer screen in front of him, with a concentrated stare.

"Tell me you found something useful on the security tapes" I ask as we walk up next to Adam.

"Hey, I am the best lab tech there is" He replies with a smug grin, reminding me of my comment the other day.

"That was a momentary lapse in judgement" I counter with a smirk and his grin turns to a frown. "Now, do you haven't something to show me, or not?"

"See for yourselves" He begins as he turns the computer screen towards us.

As he presses the play button, we see the outside of Davis' apartment building and watch as a man exits the building and walks towards the parking lot.

"See, that I believe would be your suspect, and..." he pauses for a moment until another man appears at the front of the apartment building. "And there, that's Davis. These cameras don't have audio, but I think you can tell he's clearly upset about something" He explains as we watch Davis making gestures with his arms that tells us he's yelling at whoever this other man is.

"Can you get a shot of this guy's face?" Stella asks him.

"Unfortunately his back is to the camera the whole time, but I can do you one better" he responds.

"By all means..." I tell him.

"Alright, but who's the best?" He asks with the smug grin returning to his face.

"Adam!" I lightly scold him and the grin quickly disappears.

"Right. Fine. Ok, here you go, you can see him getting into this SUV and I was able to zoom in on it and get the plate number. I ran it through the DMV database, and here you go..." he tells us as he pulls up another window on the computer screen to reveal the information on the vehicle and its owner.

"Bradley Davis?" Stella and I respond almost in unison as we read the screen.

"His brother, maybe?" Stella inquires further.

"Most likely. According to his license he's only 2 years younger than Matthew Davis." Adam answers.

"Anything else?" I ask.

"Yeah, uh he's actually in the system"

"For what?" Stella asks.

"Couple different things, mostly when he was younger. Possession mostly, but eventually one count of armed robbery in '92. Looks like he's managed to pull his act together since then though, no further incidents since."

"Yeah, until he murdered his brother" I throw back at him. "You got an address?" I ask and he hands me the printout of Bradley Davis' license and vehicle ownership, so I have all his information.

"Thanks Adam. I've gotta call Flack" I tell him as Stella and I go to exit the lab.

"Sure thing boss" Adam slightly mumbles as we leave.

"Hey, Adam?" I begin before I completely exit the lab."You're the best" I throw back at him and his famous grin returns again.

"I knew you'd come to your senses!" He yells into the hallway as Stella and I walk away.

We stop outside Stella's office and she tells me she's going to get to work on some case reports while we wait for Flack to bring Davis in.

She goes inside and I hang back in the hallway as I quickly pull my phone out to call Flack.

"Detective Flack..." he answers.

"Yeah Don, its Mac. Got a lead on the security footage. Matthew Davis was arguing with a Bradley Davis. Matthew Davis' brother as far as we can tell. I need you to get an APB out on his vehicle and send a couple units to his home address. Let's bring this guy in and see what he can tell us about that night."

"You got it"

"Okay, I'm walking into my office right now, I'll fax all the info over to your desk"

"Thanks Mac. I'll keep you posted"

I hang up my phone and enter my office where I send Flack everything we have on Bradley Davis. Unfortunately since we don't have much else to go on until we have a chance to interrogate Bradley, it's now a matter of waiting. I hate waiting.

I decide to go in search of Danny and Lindsay to see how they're coming along in their case. I've of course been following up with their case files, but not having much better to do, I decide to put in some face time with them.

...

"Hey, how's it going in here?" I ask as I approach Danny and Lindsay.

"Sorry boss, you're too late. Case closed" Danny replies with a proud grin.

"Really?"

"Yep, Angell's getting an official confession statement as we speak"

"Well, good job guys. Get your case reports finished yet?"

"Working on them now" Lindsay responds.

"Alright, well finish up then take the rest of the night off" I tell them and they both look up at me in surprise.

"Yeah?" Danny asks.

"Yeah. It's kinda quiet around here anyway. Now hurry up and finish your report before I change my mind" I tell them as I pull the door open and head back into the hallway.

"Mac! Wait up!" I hear Danny calling behind me as he sprints down the hallway after me.

"What is it Danny?" I ask, hoping there's something he needs help with so I'll have something to keep me busy.

"Look, I know we've both been busy on different cases, but you could have called me you know" he tells me and I look at him with a confused expression.

"What are you talking about?"

"What's this I hear about you having a stepson?" He asks with a hushed tone, as to not create further gossip within the lab.

"Oh, yeah... it's been a little crazy lately, sorry. What have you heard?"

"Not much, just little bits here and there."

"Well it's a pretty long story" I begin with a soft sigh. "But we're working through everything. I think we've come a pretty long way in the few days we've spent together."

"Well I should have known you'd have it all under control" he tells me with a smirk. "But you know I'm here if you need to talk or anything"

"Thanks Danny" I tell him with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. "When everything settles down then trust me, I'll tell you all about it."

"Ok, well guess I've got some work to finish up" he replies as he turns to head back to Lindsay.

I consider myself lucky to have the team that I have. Everyone looks out for one another, and we're more like a big family than anything. I probably spend 70% of my time with these people on an everyday basis and I trust them with my life, and they trust theirs with me. We've all been through our share of hard times, but in the end we're always there for each other.

As I make my way back to my office, my phone rings again.

"Taylor."

"Yeah, it's Don."

"Hey, how'd it go with Davis?"

"Nobody home. Got a couple uniforms to sit on the house. If and when he shows up, they'll contact me. And before you ask, still no hits on the APB."

"Great, more waiting..." I reply with a heavy sigh. "Thanks Don, let me know as soon as you hear anything."

"You'll be the first"

I hang up my phone and wander into my office and slump down into my chair. I look over at the large stack of case reports that have accumulated on my desk over the course of the day and let out a heavy sigh. Mindless paperwork is hardly what I'm in the mood for. I'd rather be chasing down a lead on my current case, but unfortunately those are few and far between. Flack is already on top of the only solid lead we have. This is the boring part of my job, but part of my job nonetheless so I grab the first folder and get to work. Before I know it a few hours have gone by and I'm working on the last remaining case file. "Finally" I mumble under my breath just as an eager Danny pops his head into my office.

"Here you go boss!" he begins as we walks up and drops the case file onto my desk.

"Oh great" I begin sarcastically "just what I need, another case file."

"Yeah, thought you might be happy about that" he replies with a smirk.

"So, Lindsay and I can take off then?" He asks with a curious grin.

"Big plans?" I ask him and his grin widens. The two of them have been making doe eyes over one another since Lindsay joined my team about a year ago. Frankly I'd say it's about time they did something about it. Save me the torment of watching them secretly pine over each other. There's nothing worse than seeing two people who clearly belong together stubbornly avoid taking the plunge into something more than friendship. Can't they tell that everyone sees it but them?

"Oh you know, no big deal. Just grabbing a drink down at the pub" He tells me with a shrug.

"Dinner." I tell him and he arches an eyebrow at me.

"What?"

"Dinner, Danny. Take her to dinner."

"Is that an order boss?" he asks with a chuckle.

"Actually, yes. Consider it an order. And trust me Danny, she'll say yes."

"Yeah, but Mac..." he starts but I quickly cut him off.

"Danny, trust me. Just do us all a favour, yourself and Lindsay included, and take the girl out."

"You sure she's gonna say yes?" He asks in a very unsure and nervous tone. It's odd to see him, of all people, acting like this. He's never had a problem getting women before; in fact it's like an art form to him. Watching him get all nervous over one girl in particular almost seems strange. I can't help but be reminded of Reed how he interacted with Cassie. I guess love, or whatever you want to call it, is confusing no matter what age you are.

"Danny!" I lightly scold him and he quickly gives his head a shake and takes a deep breath.

"Right, trust you. Okay, but if she turns me down, then you're taking me to dinner. And I'm not a cheap date." He throws back at me and I let out a small laugh.

"You're on."

He quickly exits my office in search of Lindsay; with a new found vote of confidence, and I get back to work on my newest case file.

Time dwindles by me a while longer until I finally look up from my desk to the clock on my wall. 6:15. Hmmmm.... well with no word from Flack yet I decide it's time to call it a day as I push myself up from my chair and grab my jacket from the coat rack.

I step out of my office and into the hallway and notice Stella still at her desk. She looks about as bored as I feel. I walk over to her office and knock lightly on the glass door before swinging it open and leaning against the doorframe. She looks up from her desk and a smile forms on her lips when she notices that it's me.

"Don't work too hard" I tell her with a smirk and she rolls her eyes.

"It's a good thing you found me before I actually died of boredom."

"Yeah, I know what you mean" I respond with a heavy sigh. "Anything you need help with?"

"No, I'm actually just finishing up. Ready to head out. Unless you need me for something?"

"No, no. I'm taking off too. Enjoy the rest of the evening"

"Oh yeah, I've got big plans" She tells me with another roll of her eyes.

"Really?"

"No." She quickly answers. "Unless going home alone to a glass of red wine and a hot bath constitutes plans these days" she asks with a shrug and we both chuckle.

"Well I'm sure I have a long night of enduring Reed's ever-growing teenage angst to look forward to when I get home. Wanna trade?"

"Yeah, I don't think so" she responds with a shake of her head.

"Goodnight Stella."

"Goodnight Mac. Oh, and good luck!"

"Thanks" I tell her as I leave her office and make my way out of the lab.

I get to my truck when an idea pops into my head and I decide to make a quick stop on my way home...

...

[Reed's POV]

I finish cooking dinner and leave it in the oven to keep it warm until Mac gets home from work, which I'm assuming should be shortly. It's killing me inside that I can't tell him what happened earlier with L.J. I know he would want me to, but the truth is, after all he's done for me I can't let myself put his life in danger to save my own. I'll face this on my own. God forbid if something were to happen to him or Cassie because of me, I would never forgive myself. I can't and won't have that on my conscience.

I hear his key slide into the lock on the front door and it pulls me away from my thoughts. I don't want him to see that something's wrong. I'll need to be at the top of my game tonight so that he can go to bed and rest easy so I can slip out without him being awake to hear me.

"Reed?" I hear him call my name as he enters the apartment.

"Yeah, Mac, I'm in the kitchen!" I call back and he meets me there.

"Hey"

"Hey, um dinner's ready. I was just keeping it warm. Are you ready to eat?"

"Wow, such service" he responds with a grin. "Yeah, that sounds great"

I bring our dinner out to the table and we both take a seat. I begin asking him about how the rest of his day went, and he asked me about the rest of mine. His obviously a lot more interesting than mine, but he would probably beg to differ.

"So, are you going to see Cassie again?" He asks me with an ambitious grin. Inside I feel my heart sink into my stomach as he mentions her name, but on the outside I put on fake smile and oblige his question.

"I don't know, I mean, I hope so. I think we kind of hit it off today"

"That's great!" he tells me, and the enthusiasm and pride in his voice only fuels my guilt for lying to him further. I quickly remind myself to play it cool, so that he's not suspect to anything being wrong.

"Hey Stella called by the way, she wants to know if you wanted your tie back?" I throw at him jokingly and he rolls his eyes.

"How did I know I was going to hear about this?"

"Come on Mac, quit denying it already. Even Stevie Wonder can see there's something going on between you guys"

"I don't know how many more times I can tell you we're just friends."

"I don't know either, how long are you capable of lying to yourself?" I throw back at him and he just shakes his head and lets out a small chuckle.

"Well dinner was great" he tells me as he wipes his mouth with his napkin. I know he's trying to change the subject so I decide to cut him some slack and let it go.

"Thanks, it was nothing" I tell him as we get up from the table and make our way over to the sofa and take a seat to relax for a few moments.

"Well, what do you wanna do now?" He asks me and I don't know how much more bonding I can take before I'm completely consumed by guilt.

"I don't know, I'm kinda tired, maybe I'll just call it a night."

"Reed, its 7:30..." he replies with a confused tone.

"Oh... right. Um, I guess we could watch a movie or something."

"Yeah, we _could_ do that... But I was thinking something a little more productive and mind stimulating.

"Mac, its summer vacation. Why on earth would I want to stimulate my mind?"

"Could be fun" he responds with a curious grin.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask, now with my curiosity peaked.

"Just wait here" he tells me as he gets up from the sofa and walks around the corner, over to the front door.

I wait in anxious anticipation for a few moments until I finally see him return. When he does my jaw drops open as I marvel at the beautiful bass guitar he's holding in his hand. It's mostly white with light blue detailing. I couldn't have picked a nicer one myself.

"You said you wanted to learn, so..." he begins and I can feel my eyes beginning to water. I can't believe he did this for me.

"Mac, I can't... You shouldn't ha..." I start but he quickly interrupts.

"If you're going to try and convince me to take it back, don't bother. That's a battle you're not going to win. Besides, have you seen my movie collection? If you'd really rather, we can watch the documentary on the American Revolutionary War. Oh, it's a good one. See it all started in 1775 when a group of revolutionaries took over the British colonial governments and..."

"Okay, okay!" I quickly exclaim and he lets out a hearty laugh.

[Mac's POV]

I pass him the guitar and as he holds it in his hands for the first time his eyes light up like a kid at Christmas.

"Wow... Mac... This is sick!" he tells me; and judging by the way Adam often throws that term around when he's excited about a new machine or gadget that comes into the lab, I know that's actually a good thing.

"Well I'm glad you like it. You ready for your first lesson?"

"Absolutely!"

"Ok, first things first..." I begin telling him the basics and he's quick to absorb all the knowledge I'm giving him. Frankly I'm impressed at his eagerness to learn. However, like me, he gets frustrated easily when it doesn't all come naturally to him right away. But a couple hours go by and he's starting to pick up on it rather well. He's learned a few chords and we begin strumming along together to an easy bass riff I taught him.

Shortly after that he lets out a long yawn. "Hey, rock stars aren't supposed to get tired" I tell him with a smirk and he lets out a small laugh.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not a rock star yet, cuz I'm wrecked." He responds, letting out another yawn and stretching his arms above his head.

I look at the clock, it's only 10:00, but I guess he had a long enough day. Truthfully, I'm kind of tired myself.

We both tuck our guitars back into their cases and put them away in the storage closet.

"Well goodnight Reed" I call out as I walk down the hallway towards my bedroom.

"Hey Mac!" Reed calls, and I turn back to face him. "Thanks. You know, for everything" He tells me with sincerity in his voice and I offer him a smile.

"My pleasure. Good night."

"Good night!" he calls back and we both retire to our separate rooms.

...

[Reed's POV]

I wait about an hour before I safely assume Mac is asleep by now. I grab a pen and paper and jot a quick note. I look on my bedroom floor at all the bags of clothes I bought today that I didn't bother putting away. I place all the bags on top of my bed and change out of the clothes I was wearing today and back into my old clothes. No need for fancy clothes where I'm going. Besides, I want Mac to take them back, so I leave the outfit from today folded neatly on the end of my bed with all my receipts lying on top. I leave the note on my pillow and quickly tip toe out of the apartment, quietly closing the door behind me.

Once in the hallway, I take the back stairs instead of the elevator so that I can get out the side door without having to worry about running into the door man. I jog a couple of blocks up the street before hailing a cab.

As I climb into the backstreet and tell the driver where I'm going, there's a slight hesitation in his voice when he finally complies. I can only imagine what kind of neighbourhood L.J. must have me meeting him in. This, I fear, will not be pretty...

_Time to man up and accept your fate Reed_. I tell myself as a single tear rolls down my cheek and I glance out the back window of the cab back to Mac's apartment; a place where I very much would have liked to call home.

About 15 minutes later I feel my chest starting to tighten and that hard lump has returned to my throat once again as the cab slowly rolls to a stop.

"Here you are kid"

I can't even manage words to offer the driver, so instead I just throw a few bills into the front seat and take a deep breath as I step out of the cab and into the cold night air. The cab driver leaves me and I quickly pull my wrist up to look at my watch. 11:59. I take another deep breath as a cold sweat begins to form on my forehead. This is it.

****Well??? Thoughts so far? Sorry to leave you hanging again, but I have to keep you on edge a little bit right?**

**Hope your still enjoying the story. Did you like the little SMacked innuendo I threw into the conversation that Mac was having with Danny? lol. **

**Back to the real drama, what's in store for Reed? And how will Mac factor in to all of this? (you know he's going to, lol) **

**Wait and see my friends, wait and see... Looking forward to some reviews, so get busy! lol.****


	10. Chapter 10

****Well, I know you were all dying for an update, so here's a little something to hold you over for now. But don't count on getting up from the edge of your seat just yet... Still lots more suspense to come as Reed's life is put in jeopardy.****

[Reed's POV]

I take a minute to familiarize myself with my surroundings. I don't think I've even been in this end of town before. It's worse than Bobby's neighbourhood, and I thought that was bad. Something about it just gives me the creeps. There are a couple of rundown apartment buildings, cars with busted in windows, and a homeless person on just about every corner. The piece of paper L.J. gave me didn't give an exact address, but instead just an intersection, which is where the cab driver dropped me off. So I stand on the corner, looking around nervously. Half expecting L.J. to just jump out from somewhere and grab me, but the dim lighting the streets have to offer doesn't help me to see anything useful.

"I'm impressed" I hear a distant voice call to me, and I look to my right down the pitch black alley. I can't see a thing. Finally, the flick of a lighter shows me L.J.'s grinning face as he pulls the flame closer to his mouth to light his cigarette. He takes a long drag from his cigarette and exhales slowly before pushing himself off of the wall he was leaning against and he starts strutting towards me.

"Thought you'd show up with the cavalry" he begins as he walks up to me. "Where's Daddy?" he asks, now invading my personal space as he leans closer to me.

"Look, I'm the one you want. He doesn't have anything to do with this!" I snap back at him.

"Yeah, well, you and your dad stirred up quite a bit of trouble for me" He starts off softly as he takes another drag from the cigarette and blows the smoke in my face. "Do you have any idea how much money I lost in that bust?!" He asks, now shouting as he grabs my by the shirt and pulls me back into the alley.

"I had nothing to do with that I swear!" I try and reason with him as he pushes me back into the wall of the alley. "And, he's not my dad alright?"

"You know what, save me your poor little orphan boy story, I already know it. And let's just say, for the sake of arguing, that I do in fact believe that it wasn't you who set me up; if it wasn't you then that only leaves Bobby. Who, need I remind you, is still in lock-up. So, since you're his little bitch, you get to take his place under the guillotine"

Fear instantly strikes over me and the reality of the situation begins to set in as I see two men step out from the shadows of the alley, and closer to L.J. and I.

"Reed Garrett, I'd like you to meet my associates. Associates, this little punk is Reed Garrett. Why don't you guys get to know each other?" He tells them with a grin and they both step up to either side of me and grab my arms to hold me still. I instantly start struggling to try and get out of their grasp, but to no avail. These guys are easily twice my size.

"Let me go!" is all I manage to shout as I continue to struggle in their firm grasp.

"Hey, calm down. Stop being such a baby" L.J. tells me, his voice calm again. "You know, maybe when this is all over I'll call your little girlfriend up. Show her what it's like to be with a real man"

I know he's just trying to get a rise out of me, but unfortunately for me it's working as I try to lunge towards him, but I'm just thrown back into the wall by the two men holding me.

"Hey, that's not very nice" L.J. taunts me with a grin. "Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners? Oh, that's right, I forgot. She's dead!"

Pressed against the wall and not being able to move, I spit in his face instead to show my disgust towards him. "I'll kill you!" I scream at him as he looks up at me and wipes the spit from his face.

"I'm afraid you've got that the wrong way around junior" he quickly tells me as he retaliates with a hard blow to my stomach, forcing me to fall to my knees as the wind is knocked out of me. I let out an agonizing cry of pain as I feel my insides instantly cave in. I've been knocked around before, but I've never taken a hit like this.

He gestures at his thugs to bring me to my feet again so they pull me up but I'm still slightly keeled over as I try desperately to get my breathing under control.

L.J. grabs me by hair and raises my head up to meet my eyes with his. "Now, are you going to promise to keep it down?" he asks me, and I can't stop wheezing long enough to even nod my head. He lets go of my hair and my head flops right back down.

"You're pathetic Garrett!" He snarls at me as he slaps me upside the head.

"It's too bad you didn't have a dad, he could've taught you how to fight like a man!"

"Screw you!" I manage to shout back as I raise my head to his level again; and he takes another swing at me, this time clocking me right in the face, causing blood to come flying out of my mouth as his fist connects with my jaw. My head flops right back down again and I can't describe the pain I'm feeling as my legs shake beneath me. These men are the only thing holding me upright.

"Kids..." he begins sarcastically. "They never learn. Let's go"

The men turn down the alley, pulling me along with them, my head still hanging down and my feet dragging along the ground as I desperately try to remain conscious.

"Where..." I try to talk but I'm far from capable at completing a sentence right now.

"C'mon, you didn't think I was just gonna off you right here on the street did you?"

As we reach the end of the alley there is a dark blue van waiting for us. They swing the back doors open and throw me inside. My head smacks off the metal floor of the van and I start to feel dizzy. Finally my eyes won't allow themselves to stay open any longer as I slip into unconsciousness.

[Mac's POV]

The roar of an fire truck siren flying by my apartment building jolts me awake from my sleep. I quickly sit up in my bed and rub my tired eyes. I look over at my alarm clock and see that it's only 3:00a.m. I let out a heavy sigh and lean back to rest my head against the headboard. I lie still there for a moment before pushing the covers off of myself and stepping out of bed to go get a glass of water. I know it will probably be a while, if at all, until I will be able to fall back asleep.

I shuffle my feet along down the hallway towards the kitchen and I get just past Reed's bedroom door then suddenly stop when I think I see the light still on in his room. I take a step backwards and rub my eyes once more before pushing the door open.

I quickly peer into the room and see that his bed is empty, except for all the bags of clothes that are sitting on it. Slightly confused and still groggy from being half asleep, I start to wonder if maybe he went to sleep on the couch again, before I start getting ahead of myself and jumping to any conclusions. I walk out to the living room and see that he's not there either and a state of panic instantly sets in.

"Reed!" I shout as I frantically start running through my apartment swinging open every door in a desperate search.

After I've looked absolutely everywhere I run back into his room and notice the piece of paper on his pillow. My heart is in my throat as I pick up the letter with my hand slightly shaking and I begin reading:

_Dear Mac: _

_I just want say that I'm sorry, for everything I put you through. You had a life before I came along and I turned it all upside down. The truth is, I never asked you to do any of this and I can't let myself be a burden to you any longer. You don't owe me anything. _

_I'd like to get back to my life now. You might not think much of it, but at least it was mine. I don't belong here; I don't belong anywhere. So I'll handle myself as I always have, on my own. _

_Don't try to come looking for me, because you won't find me. _

_Again, I'm sorry. Sorrier than you will ever know. _

_Thanks for everything, I know you tried. It's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself. _

_-Reed._

I sink down onto the bed and I can't believe what I'm reading. I toss the note back on the bed and put my head into my hands in frustration as my brain tries to figure this all out. It can't be true. Can it? Something must be wrong... Right? I push myself up from the bed and pace his bedroom floor as various thoughts and scenarios begin running through my head. My mind is going a mile a minute and when I finally stop my pacing to try and collect myself; I end up giving in to my rage instead as I push all the clothes off of Reed's bed and onto the floor in one quick sweep, then hurling my fist into the wall.

"Damn it!" I yell as my fist connects with wall and the drywall begins crumbling on impact, creating a large hole.

I refuse to let myself believe that these feelings he's telling me are true. Not knowing what to do next, and not trusting myself much longer to refrain from completely destroying my apartment I head for my bedroom, pick up my phone, and quickly dial the only number I can think of.

[Stella's POV]

I roll over from my back onto my side and let out a small groan as I try and open my eyes wide enough to see my phone on the night stand. _Who on earth is calling me at this hour?_

"Bonasera" I manage to grumble into the phone, with my voice still groggy.

"Stella!" A frantic Mac on the other end answers and I quickly sit up in my bed and am fully alert. Something's wrong...

"Mac! What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's Reed. He's... he's gone Stella."

"What? Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"I mean he's not here. I woke up and found a note and... Stella please..." his voice starts to break and I know he's on the brink of falling apart.

"I'm on my way!" I quickly tell him, then hang up the phone and jump out of bed. I throw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and run to my truck as fast as my tired legs will carry me.

...

Within minutes I'm at Mac's front door and it's unlocked so I let myself in and quickly go searching for him.

I stop outside the spare bedroom and as I look inside and see him sitting on the bed with the note in one hand and holding his head with the other, I feel my heart begin to break.

"Mac..." I begin softly as I enter the room. I walk closer to him and let out a small sigh as I notice the damage to the wall. I take a seat beside him and offer a warm hand on his shoulder. He doesn't even try to look at me, instead just hands me the note to read.

I skim over the note then shake my head in disbelief. "Mac, this doesn't sound like Reed... I mean, the way things have been going between you two lately..." I start but he quickly cuts me off.

"I know, it doesn't make any sense. Something is wrong Stella, I can just feel it."

"Yeah, so can your fist apparently" I tell him with a sigh. "Let me see that." I grab his hand and pull it closer to me and notice it already starting to swell and bruise.

"I'm fine!" he snaps as he quickly pulls his hand away from me.

"Okay, I'm sorry. So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know... I just can't shake this feeling that something isn't right. I mean he was acting strange all day today, then when I got home tonight everything was fine, and we actually bonded probably more than we ever have, now I find this note. And something about when he said '_don't bother looking for me, you won't find me'_ just rubbed me the wrong way. Everything in me is telling me that there's something wrong."

"I don't know what to tell you Mac..."

"Tell me that I'm not crazy and delusional, and that you believe me." He lets out softly as he finally pulls his head up to look at me; and his usually intense and determined blue eyes are now remorseful and cloudy from tears that he must have shed before I got here.

"Of course I believe you" I assure him, but I don't know what else I can say to him that will offer him any comfort. I look over to see the clothes scattered all over the floor and get up from the bed to start picking them up. Most of it is all still in bags except his outfit from earlier. I grab the light blue polo and let out a soft sigh as I begin to fold it back up. Wait a second, is that...

"Mac!" I quickly call his name and he jerks his head in my direction.

"Look!" I exclaim as I bring the shirt to him. "There's blood on the inside of this shirt!"

Mac quickly snatches the shirt from my hands and holds it up in front of him.

"I knew something wasn't right" he grumbles as he picks up the jeans Reed was wearing early and shoves both items into an empty bag.

"Let's go!" He calls to me as he starts heading out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

I chase after him and he's practically out the front door already. "Mac! Where are we going?"

"Where we go to get answers, the lab"

He throws open the door and heads for the stairwell and I follow closely behind.

We get outside and he heads towards his truck.

"I can drive if you..."

"I'm fine!" he quickly interrupts and I won't bother trying to argue with him at this point.

We climb into his truck and he tosses the siren on top of the roof and goes speeding out of the parking lot and towards the lab.

With his eyes fixed and concentrating on the road ahead of him, I pull out my phone and send a quick text to Flack: _"911. Meet us at to the lab, ASAP. –Stella and Mac"_

...

Mac lives further from the lab than Flack, so it's no surprise that by the time we get there he's already waiting for us as we step off the elevator and into the halls of the lab.

Mac quickly glances over at me and I offer a quick shrug "we could use all the help we can get Mac." I tell him in truth, and he finally gives me a compliant nod.

"Mac, Stella, what's going on?" Flack asks us as we approach them.

Mac doesn't answer but instead pushes through him and walks into one of the lab rooms. He's anxious to get started on processing Reed's clothes, so I take the liberty of quickly briefing Flack on what's going on.

"It's Reed... he's missing"

"Missing?!" he immediately questions.

"Well, he left a note telling Mac he was leaving, but Mac felt something seemed strange about the whole scenario, and that's when we found Reed's shirt with dried blood on it."

"Okay," Flack begins as he goes into 'detective mode'. "When was the last time anybody saw him?"

"I don't know, Mac is absolutely beside himself right now. I didn't get much out of him."

"Okay, what do we know?"

"Not much. All we have so far is this note" I tell him as I pass the note over.

He quickly scans over it and looks up at me when he's finished. "What does he mean by _you won't find me?_"

"I have no idea. That was the part that was bugging Mac as well."

"Well, this doesn't give us much to go on... Do we have anything else?" Flack asks me and I wish I more to tell him. Instead I just shake my head slightly.

"How 'bout an address?" I hear Mac's voice call out and I look over to see him walking towards us with a small piece of paper in his hand.

"An address?" I ask him in curiosity.

"I found this piece of paper crumpled up in the pocket of Reed's jeans" he tells us as he hands it over to Flack.

"Mac..." he begins as he reads the address. "We better hurry"

And with that we all hop into the elevator and back downstairs to the truck. Mac insists on driving again, so Flack and I comply and climb into the truck before he goes tearing out of the parking lot.

[Mac's POV]

Thankfully it's late at night, and the neighbourhood I'm headed to doesn't usually have much traffic going through it, so I race through the streets as fast as I can without risking anyone's safety. Even though it's only been a few short minutes, it feels like an eternity as we make our way to our destination. We all remain completely silent. I think they're both too nervous to say anything, afraid they might set me off; and I'm too concentrated on the road in front of me. So, we remain in silence until we finally reach the intersection that had been scribbled on the piece of paper I found.

"This is it." I tell them as I stop the truck and we all jump out with our guns drawn.

This place is dirty, smelly, and gives even me the creeps. It's hard to see much of anything so I pull out my flashlight and begin wandering around, trying to find anything that might lead me to Reed.

I begin kicking over garbage cans, looking under parked cars, and anything else I can think of to try and find at least a shred of evidence that Reed might have been here earlier. So far, nothing.

"Mac!" I hear Stella's voice call me and I look over to see her crouched down in an alley way with her flashlight glowing. I quickly run to her side to see what she's found, but when I do my stomach instantly begins to turn.

"Blood" I respond as I crouch down beside her and take a swab out of my pocket to collect a sample.

"There's not a lot Mac, don't start thinking the worst." She tries to comfort me, but truthfully it doesn't make me feel any better.

I shine my flashlight around some more in the alley to see if I can find anything else of use, when I spot a cigarette butt that looks somewhat fresh a couple feet away from the blood drops.

"Reed doesn't smoke." I tell Stella as I walk over and crouch down to pick it up with my gloved hand. I carefully place it in an evidence bag and we continue in our search for clues down the dark alley.

"You guys find anything?" We hear Flacks voice call to us and look up to see him beginning to walk towards us.

"Some blood drops and a cigarette butt" Stella tells him as I go back to my desperate search.

"Tried talking to a couple of the vagrants I came across" he begins, referring to the homeless people dwelling on the nearby streets. "But the ones that were actually sober enough to wake up long enough to talk to me claim to have seen and heard nothing."

"Figures" Stella replies in frustration.

As I near the exiting end of the alley I notice some tire tracks that look fresh.

"I need my camera" I shout to no one in particular and Flack quickly runs to my truck to retrieve it for me.

When he returns I quickly start snapping photos of the tire marks, then head back up to the front of the alley way to take pictures of the blood drops we found earlier.

We take some more time to finish processing the rest of the alley, but unfortunately don't find much else that looks out of place.

With the sun now starting to rise I decide it's time to take whatever we have back to the lab to hopefully find some more answers.

"Okay, let's pack it in and get back to the lab. Stella, get in touch with the others and have them meet us there" I tell her and she nods in agreement as she pulls out her phone.

We head back to the truck and this time I let Flack drive. I crawl into the backseat to offer Stella the front, but instead she climbs in right beside me, and Flack starts driving towards the lab.

"We'll find something Mac" she assures me as she grabs onto my hand and gently squeezes it.

"I hope you're right" I tell her with a soft sigh. "I have to find him Stella, I have to..."

She offers a comforting hand on my shoulder as she pulls me closer to her so my head rests on her shoulder and she begins pushing her fingers through my hair. Normally I would never allow myself to be this vulnerable with someone, but given the emotional hell I'm going through right now, and the fact that she is my closest friend I just comply and close my eyes and allow her to offer all the comfort she can. I'm sure Flack notices, but he doesn't say a word. Besides, I don't think I could care less at this point.

It's strange to think that in about a week Reed has completely changed my life, but it's the absolute truth, and I know I wouldn't want to go back to a life without him in it.

Again, the ride back to the lab is one of complete silence as I take these few minutes to collect myself and my thoughts. Now is not the time for me to start flying off the handle again, I tell myself. I need to pull myself together and concentrate on doing what I do best if I ever want to find Reed.

...And I will. I have to...

****Sorry, that's all you're getting out of me for now. And don't worry, we haven't heard the last from Reed. He'll be back with some play-by-play in the next chapter so stay tuned for another update soon! **

**And keep those reviews coming, they get me revved up for writing updates!!****


	11. Chapter 11

****To my faithful viewers: I'm sorry it took so long for an update, but I will hopefully have another chapter up for you in a couple days :) **

**Now, find your way back to the edge of your seat and let's begin chapter 11...****

[Stella's POV]

As we reach the lab and head inside, the rest of the team has not arrived yet so Mac takes the opportunity to quickly head to his locker to grab a change of clothes. He ran out of his apartment so frantically earlier this morning that he didn't even bother to change out of his sweatpants and t-shirt that he had slept in.

It breaks my heart to see him like this, so consumed with worry, and fear that we won't find Reed. I know he will need his friends now more than ever. I haven't seen him this upset and vulnerable since Claire died and I can only hope that he won't shut the world out this time like he did then. Our unique friendship is the strongest it's ever been, and I'm going to do absolutely anything and everything I can to keep it that way by supporting him every step of the way through this.

Within a few minutes the team starts to arrive, anxious to know why I called them all in hours before their usual starting time. Most of them showed up in their casual clothes, jeans and t-shirts, and I can tell they just jumped out of bed and headed straight over like I had done. I quickly explain to the group what has happened, to save Mac the grief of having to tell the story again. Just as I finish briefing them, Mac turns the corner and starts heading towards us. He looks terrible; sick with worry. I can tell he splashed some water in his face, trying to get his composure together for the team. Not donning his usual professional attire, instead he wears khaki pants and black polo shirt. Probably all he had in his locker. I offer him a slight smile as he walks up to us and he gives me a nod.

"Uh..." he begins, unsure of where to start. "First off, I'd like to thank everyone for coming down here so quickly. I'm sure Stella's filled you in on what's going on, and I'd really like to get moving on this as quickly as possible." His voice is steady and calm but his body language speaks volumes as he trembles slightly and rubs his forehead with his hand in angst.

"Absolutely boss. Whatever you need. Where can I start?" Danny is the first to speak up, and I'm not surprised. He's always looked up to Mac, almost like a father figure. Mac has helped Danny through some emotionally tough times over the years, much like he has done for me. Mac is our rock, our fearless leader; and everyone is more than willing to be here and help out wherever they can through his time of need.

Mac takes a moment to look over his team that stands before him, then finally pulls himself together and takes charge of the situation like he normally would.

"Ok, this is what we're going to do. Danny, Adam, Stella and Flack; you guys are with me. Hawkes, I want you to take the lead on the Davis case. Lindsay, you're with him. You two will be working with Detective Angell. Flack, get her all the information we have and turn the case over to her."

"You got it" Flack complies, and the others just nod in agreement.

"Ok, we've got work to do people, let's get to it. Hawkes, Lindsay the Davis case file is in my office" He tells them and they quickly disperse.

"Adam, I need DNA results from the samples I collected from the cigarette and blood drops. I want to know who's it is, and I want to know now" He lightly commands as he passes Adam the evidence bags.

"Comin' right up!" Adam replies eagerly as he takes the evidence bags and hurries into the DNA lab.

"Flack, tie up all the loose ends on the Davis case and get everything we've got so far to Jess. I'll call you as soon as we have something."

"I'm on it!" Flack responds and heads to the elevator.

"Danny, get these developed right away" he begins as he passes his camera to Danny. "Then I want you and Stella to take the tire tracks in the alley, find out whatever you can on a make and model."

"You got it boss!" Danny replies quickly, grabbing for the camera then heads down the hall.

With just him and I left standing in the hallway of the lab he finally takes a moment to let out a deep sigh as he runs his fingers through his hair and then rests his hands on the back of his head.

"Now we wait..." he replies in glum tone.

"Come with me" I lightly demand and he looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Mac, come on. We'll only be a few minutes. You won't miss anything." I assure him and he finally complies and follows me down the hallway.

I lead him into the break room, grab two coffee mugs from the cupboard and make us each a cup.

"You're going to need this" I tell him as I pass him the cup.

"Thanks."

I take a few sips from my coffee then, set my mug down on the counter. This wasn't the real reason I came in here, I just thought we could use the boost. I leave him to drink his coffee and I wander over to the refrigerator and open the freezer compartment and grab one of the gel ice packs. I turn back to Mac and he instantly rolls his eyes when he sees why I brought him in here.

"I'm fine, I told you" he lightly protests as I walk towards him.

"I'll be the judge of that, let me see" I tell him as I grab his injured hand and pull it up to inspect it. Just as I imagined, his knuckles are swollen to nearly twice the size of his other hand, and are beginning to turn a light shade of purple.

"Here" I lightly demand as I press the ice pack against his hand and hold it there for him. "This will keep the swelling down."

He lets out a slight cringe as frozen compress meets his skin.

"Cold..." he gasps.

"Well, that's the point of it, yes!" I lightly scold him, with an annoyed tone. If he would have let me do this earlier his fist wouldn't be the size of a balloon right now.

"Wow..." he begins as his eyes slightly widen "You're cranky when you're tired huh?"

"I'm sorry Mac" I quickly apologize and give my head a shake.

"Hey, it's fine" he assures me with tight smile. "Besides, who else would take care of me if you didn't?"

"Nobody, you're too stubborn" I quickly throw back at him with a smirk.

He just nods in agreement then places his free hand on top of mine that's holding the ice pack.

"In case I haven't said it yet, thank you." He tells me softly.

"Hey, what are partners for?" I reply with a smile. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do at 3 in the morning anyway"

"Yeah, sleep is for the weak" he responds with a slight sigh.

"Exactly"

...

[Reed's POV]

I slowly try to open my eyes as my tired and weary brain tries to comprehend what exactly happened to me. _Was that just a nightmare?_ But as my eyes finally manage to push themselves open, my hope of this all being a bad dream is quickly lost. I wake up on a cold hard cement floor; I'm sitting up against a wall with one arm above my head. As I try to bring my arm down, it doesn't move. Instead all I am rewarded with is a loud 'clang' sound. I look up to notice that my hand is cuffed to a pipe and I am in fact trapped in this dark and damp cellar.

"Great..." I grumble to myself as I struggle to get my hand free. My head is pounding, my jaw throbbing, and my stomach feels like I've been bludgeoned with a baseball bat or something equally harmful. However; as much as I'd like to complain, I suppose I should just be happy that I'm even still alive; although I'm not sure exactly why I am...

I peer around the dimly lit room that I am held captive in, trying to find anything of use to help get me out of here; but of course I find nothing.

_How long have I been out?_ I wonder to myself, but as fate would have it, my watch is on my cuffed hand so I am oblivious to what time it is, or even what day it is. The last thing I remember was being dragged down an alley, and then my world went black.

As I finally assume defeat and let my head come to terms with my situation, my eyes instantly tear up and I begin to let out a few quiet sobs.

In the midst of my crying I think I hear a door close upstairs and I feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. I take a deep breath to keep my breathing under control, then I begin to hear muffled voices coming from upstairs and I am straining to hear what they are saying; unfortunately I can't make any of it out.

[L.J.'s POV]

"Mason, hey man!" I greet my long time friend and once 'partner in crime' as he enters his home and I jump to my feet and off of his sofa.

"L.J. ... What are you doing here?"

"What, no hello? Can't a guy stop by to see an old friend? How are you man?"

"It depends," he begins reluctantly, "what crime do you have me currently aiding and abetting? Tell me the real reason you're here"

"Um... I need a favour... I just need a place to lay low. Just for a day, at the most."

"Oh Jesus L.J., what are you into now?"

"I'm sorry, I had an unexpected setback and I just needed somewhere out of the way to stop until I can figure out my next move. I swear, we'll be out of here in no time at all"

"Wait a minute, _'we'_? Who's we?"

"It's no big deal," I begin, not even believing myself. "It's just this kid I..."

"A kid? You brought a kid here! What kind of kid?"

I know he will absolutely lose it on me if I tell him all of the details on Reed; mainly the details about Taylor, so I decide to leave that part out. Mason got out of the game a couple years back after doing a 5 year stint at Chino. He swears he will never go back to prison again, so he lays low for the most part, working whatever crappy job will hire an ex-convict.

"He's just some kid that got me busted. He's a nobody, don't worry about it" I try telling him in a reassuring tone.

"L.J., you can't just take a kid without someone noticing!" He shouts back at me and begins pacing the floor anxiously.

"Relax, he's an orphan, no family to worry about. And his only friend is in lock-up. Trust me, it's gonna be fine. He's downstairs, I'll keep him quiet. Everything will be fine, and tomorrow you'll never even know we were here."

"No..." he starts as he shakes his head. "I don't think so man, I don't have a good feeling about this." He tells me as he starts heading for the basement door.

"2 grand!" I quickly shout and he turns towards me with a confused expression.

"what?" he asks.

"I'll give you two thousand dollars if you let us stay here for a day. C'mon man, you can't tell me you don't need the money"

"2 grand? Who the hell have you got down there? What aren't you telling me?" he asks as he pushes past me and wanders into the kitchen where he opens the cupboard below the sink and grabs for the gun he has taped up there in case of emergencies. He begins heading back towards me but then turns and goes for the basement door.

"Wait!" I call after him, but he's already swung the door open, and making his way down the stairs.

...

[Mac's POV]

With Stella now gone to help Danny analyze the photographs of the tire tracks I took, I can't do much other than sit and wait anxiously for one of my team members to tell me something useful. It's killing me to just sit here and do nothing, but I'm sure I'll just do more harm than good if I go out there and start looking over everyone's shoulder while they're trying to work. I tell myself that the evidence is in good hands; the best in fact. My team **will** get to the bottom of this, and when they do I'll be ready for whatever comes next.

I glance down at my hand that is still covered by the ice pack. Stella warned me that I better keep it on, and I knew that if I didn't comply she would probably figure out a way to fasten it to my hand regardless, so I saved myself the bother and just gave in to her demand. I carefully lift the ice pack to inspect the self-inflicted damage I had done, and am relieved to see that the swelling has gone down considerably since this morning.

I look at my watch and it is now shortly after 9a.m. and the lab is in full swing; various lab techs wandering the busy halls, and my head jerks in their direction every time I hear footsteps walk by my office, but there's only one lab tech that I'm looking for. My anxiety grows with every minute, and with every footstep I hear that doesn't belong to Adam. Finally when I think I can't take anymore waiting, I push myself up from my chair and head out into the hallway.

"Mac!" I quickly turn around to see a frantic Adam running towards me with a case file in his hand. When he finally reaches me, he's out of breath and trying desperately to catch it.

"Adam, what did you find?" I ask eagerly.

"Okay..." he begins, forcing himself to take a deep breath. "I ran the DNA from the blood drops you found in the alley. And, I got a match..."

"And?" I quickly demand.

"It's Reed's..."

I take a moment to swallow the hard lump that has formed in my throat. Although this is what I anticipated, I'm still struck with an overwhelming fear.

"Okay" I begin, trying to get my mind back on track. _Reed_ _needs me now_, I tell myself. "What else did you get?"

"The DNA from the cigarette, it belongs to a Lawrence James Hammond" he starts as he passes me a printout of his criminal record and I begin reading it out loud.

"Lawrence James Hammond, 32 years old. Possession, trafficking, armed robbery, assault and battery, breaking and entering, grand theft auto, he's been acquitted on two separate 1st degree murder charges..." my voice starts to trail off as I read the laundry list of felonies this guy has racked up.

"Adam, this guy is..." my voice trails off again. "What's he got to do with Reed? What's the connection?"

"Keep reading..." he tells me as he hands me another piece of paper, a detailed arrest report from his latest crime.

"Drug trafficking, and resisting arrest..." I start out loud, then continue to read in my head as I notice the date and address of the arrest. "Adam, this is from the bust that Reed was a witness to"

"I, I know..." he tells me nervously. "I'm sorry boss"

"Thanks Adam. You got a last known address?"

"Yeah, here you go" he tells me as he hands me another paper.

I quickly reach for my phone and call Flack.

"Flack" he answers.

"Hey, it's me. Adam got a hit on the cigarette we found, I've got an address."

"Okay, I'll meet you out front" he quickly responds and I hang up the phone.

I start to make my way towards the elevator, then turn back to Adam.

"Adam, go find Stella and Danny and offer them whatever help you can on finding that vehicle"

"You got it!" he shouts back and I jump into the elevator to head downstairs to meet Flack.

As the elevator doors open, I rush out and head towards the front doors. Once outside I see Flack already in his car, pulled up in front of the building.

"So, where we headed?" he asks as I get inside.

"Brooklyn. 232 Highland Street"

"Yeah, okay I think I know where that is" He tells me as he puts the car in gear and we're on our way.

"Great rush hour..." I grumble as we head out of the parking lot and into the heavy traffic.

"Yeah, hang on" Flack tells me as he flips on his siren and quickly starts dodging through the traffic.

As we make our way through the busy streets as fast as we can, I fill Flack in on all the details that I got from Adam earlier.

"There it is, Highland Street" I point out to Flack and he makes a quick right hand turn. As we round the corner, I feel my world almost come to a halt as we approach the house, where we find an army of squad cars already there. _Oh God, I hope I'm not too late..._

I don't even wait for Flack to completely stop the car before I jump out and dash across the front lawn and barge my way through the front door.

"Mac!" I hear Flack yelling behind me as he tries desperately to catch up, but I keep going.

Once inside I head towards the nearest officer I see and begin demanding answers. "Where is he? Where's Hammond!" I growl at the unsuspecting officer, but before he has a chance to answer me, my arms are grabbed from behind by two other officers and I'm pulled back and forced into a wall.

"Mac!" Flack calls me again, as he finally catches up to me.

"It's okay, he's with me" he tells the two officers holding me back.

"And who might you be?"

"Detective Flack, homicide." He tells them with a flash of his badge and I realize that not only am I dressed in plain clothes, but I don't even have my badge on me. No wonder they were so quick to pounce on me.

"This is Detective Taylor, crime scene" He continues and they reluctantly release me from their grasp.

"Flack!" We hear a voice call from behind and both quickly turn around.

"Weiss." Flack responds, and extends his hand to the detective that handled the last case.

"Something I can help you with? Or do you two just keep this close an eye on all the detectives?" He asks in a sour tone.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to bust in on you guys like this. We're looking for this Hammond guy; he's a person of interest in... A new case we're working on." He tells him, not letting out too much information.

"Well, sorry wish I had something more to tell you, but we raided the place late last night and he wasn't here."

"Did you find anything?" Flack inquires further.

"Yeah, a couple of kilos and a bunch of firearms for which I'm sure he has no permits for."

"Ok, nothing else? Nothing to say where he might have gone, a phone number, an address, something?"

"Sorry Don, I wish I could help you. What did you say your case was about?" He asks but I quickly interrupt.

"He didn't. C'mon Flack, let's get out of here." I tell him and we both take our leave.

"Back to the lab?" Flack questions as we climb back into the car.

"Back to the lab" I confirm reluctantly as I slam the car door shut and bring my hand to my forehead, letting out a sigh of frustration.

The ride back is one of silence as I let my mind consume me with dark thoughts about this Hammond guy, and what he's capable of. It makes me sick to think that Reed life is in the hands of this low life scumbag. I hope he's a religious man because he needs to start praying that somebody else finds him before I do...

****Sorry guys, but it's gonna get a lot worse for Mac and Reed before it gets any better... **

**Anyway, make me happy and hit that little green "review" button would ya? XD**

**Stay tuned for another update soon! Hope you're still enjoying the story.****


	12. Chapter 12

[Reed's POV]

I feel my body instantly tense up and my heart now feels like it might actually beat right through my chest as it pounds harder and faster as I listen to the footsteps coming down the stairs.

My breathing is shallow and rapid and I press myself as hard as I can against the wall as I see the dark figure move closer towards me. Is this it for me?

As he gets closer and steps into the dim lighting that's provided by a small hanging light fixture above me, I realize that it's neither L.J. or one of the two men he called his 'associates'. Before he can open his mouth to speak, I hear another set of footsteps hurrying down the stairs.

"Mason, hold up!" I hear the other man yell and I cringe at the sound of his voice. Now that's L.J...

"Relax, I'm just gonna say hello" The man standing over me; Mason I'm assuming, calls back.

He crouches down in front of me and L.J. just stops and hangs back for a moment. My panic quickly sets in further as I notice the gun in his right hand.

"Please..." I lightly whimper as I hang my head and stare at the floor, unable to look him in the eye.

He raises the gun and uses the barrel end of it to lift my chin up so I'm forced to look at him. Shivers instantly make their way down my spine as the cold metal presses against my skin, and I can't stop my body from shaking with fear.

"My God L.J., how old is this kid, like 14?" he scoffs.

"How old are you kid?" He asks me, but I don't respond. Instead my mind and body leave me no option but to cower in fear.

"Okay, doing this the hard way huh?" he snaps at me as he grabs me by the shirt and pulls me up slightly, but not all the way to my feet.

He reaches into my back pocket and grabs my wallet before letting his grip of me go, and I fall back to the hard floor. He flips open the wallet and grabs my I.D.

"Hmmmm, Reed Garrett. 17 huh? I remember being 17, it's some good times huh? Well, maybe not for you I suppose..." he begins with a smirk as he tosses my I.D. on the floor and continues to go through my wallet.

"Heyyyyy..." he starts again, this time in a tone that tells me that I don't want to know where this is going.

"Who's the broad? She's smokin'!" he tells me with a grin as pulls out the picture of Claire that Mac had given me and runs his finger across it.

"Hey, I tell you what, you hook me up with her and I'll let you go here and now. I could think of a lot more fun things to do with her cuffed to my wall..."

My fear instantly turns to rage as he belittles my memory of my mother.

"Put it back!" I snap at him as I lunge towards him and try to grab for the picture. Unfortunately he's far enough back that he's just out of my reach and the tight grip of the handcuff starts to dig into my skin and I'm forced back against the wall.

"Woah, sore spot!" he throws back at me in a mocking tone. "This your girlfriend or something? Look's a little old for you, but all the power to ya man"

"That's my mother, now put it back!" I demand in a furious tone and he turns his head back to L.J.

"You said..." he begins but L.J. quickly cuts him off.

"She's dead. I wasn't lying to you."

"Well that's unfortunate" he replies sarcastically as he turns his attention back to me. "I think I might just go ahead and hang on to this though" he tells me with a grin and stuffs the picture into his shirt pocket.

"No, please, it's all I have of her. Just put it back, please" I lightly beg.

"I don't know what you're so worried about, you're not gonna need it anytime soon anyway" he remarks with an evil grin that I wish I could just slap right off his face.

"Let's see, what else we got..." he continues as he flips through my wallet. "8 bucks... well, it's somthin." He grabs the few dollars I had left over from what Mac had given me and shoves them into his pocket with the picture already in it.

As he picks through the few other remaining cards I have in my wallet he reads them quickly then tosses them to the floor. He pulls out the last one, then arches his eyebrow and brings his gaze back up to me.

"Are you a C.I.?" he asks as, and I offer a confused look, as I have no idea what he's talking about.

"A C.I., confidential informant" he continues. "A snitch! Is that what you are?" he asks, now screaming in my face causing me to flinch.

"No, what are you talking about?" I manage to ask when he stops screaming.

"Maybe my friend here was right about you. Maybe you're going to get exactly what you deserve!" He snaps at me as he flips the card over so that I can read it. I swallow hard when I look at it and notice that it's Mac's card that he had given me when we first met.

"Who's Mac Taylor_?_ Huh?! And what kind of name is Mac anyway?" he scoffs.

"What kind of name is Mason?" I throw back at him in anger. Big mistake Reed...

He quickly backhands me across the face then stands to his feet.

"You should learn to know your place boy!" he growls at me.

"Yeah well you should learn to mind your own business" I quickly snap back, hoping the adrenaline of my anger will keep me from succumbing to my state of quivering fear once again.

"L.J., I gotta give you props man, I don't know how you managed to put up with this little punk for this long" he begins as he raises his right arm and pulls back the hammer on the gun, ready to fire.

My eyes instantly begin to water as my state of fear returns and I yell out the first thought that comes into my terrified brain.

"If you pull that trigger, Mac will kill you!" I scream at him through the few tears that have started to fall down my cheeks.

"Finally, we're getting some answers" he starts again, this time in a calmer voice as he re-arms the safety on the gun.

"Now, I'll ask you again. And this time, no wise cracks, cuz next time I won't be bluffing. Who is Mac Taylor?"

"He's my dad!" I tell him without giving it a second thought.

"He's a detective and a former marine, and when he finds you he's gonna kill you!" I snap at him with my voice raised.

He looks at me in confustion, but offers nothing in response; instead he just turns in the opposite direction.

"L.J., a word please..." he demands in a calm voice as he walks towards L.J. and pushes him towards the stairs.

"Mason..." L.J. tries to protest but Mason offers him another hard shove towards the stairs and I feel my heart rate start to slow again as I hear their footsteps heading back up the stairs.

What did I just do? The whole point of me coming into this alone was so that Mac wouldn't get involved, wouldn't get hurt. I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I could be. I need Mac. I'm not ready to die...

"_Please Mac, please find me..." _I whisper into the stillness of the room.

...

[Mac's POV]

As Flack and I return to the lab we quickly go searching for Stella, Danny and Adam in hopes that they can tell us something useful.

We finally spot them and head into the room but when I see the obvious look of defeat and frustration that I know all too well on each of their faces, I know I'm in for some bad news.

"Anything?" I ask hopelessly as I approach my team.

"Well," Danny begins. "We were able to narrow the tread pattern down to a specific tire, but unfortunately it's a pretty standard issue. There's a dozen different vehicles this tire could belong to. Sorry Mac..."

"I was afraid of that..." I reply with a frown.

"What about you guys? Come up with anything?" Stella inquires and I quickly fill her and the others in on what just happened.

"There has to be something else..." I start thinking out loud.

"Well," Stella begins. "This all ties back to the drug bust from a few days ago right, so let's go back to the beginning."

"Bobby!" I exclaim as the light bulb in my brain flicks on. Why didn't I think of this earlier?

"Flack, let's go" I tell him and he quickly follows after me as we head out of the lab room and into the hallway, back towards the elevator.

"Bobby, the guy Reed was staying with" I begin to explain to Flack as we step onto the elevator. "As far as I know, he's still downstairs in lock-up. Maybe he can tell us something useful about this Hammond guy."

The elevator comes to a halt and we both step out. I make my way towards the clerk with hurried steps and Flack follows.

Flack offers a quick flash of his badge to the clerk and tells him who we're here to see. Within moments we're led down the hallway to the cell that confines our only lead left that could help me find Reed.

"Rolston!" The clerk shouts and Bobby stands to his feet. I can only assume he recognizes me from before because when he notices me, his face instantly turns pale.

"Oh God, is it Reed? Did something happen to him?" He asks with true remorse in his tone as he steps closer to us. How does he know something is wrong?

"We're trying to figure that out, now we need your help" Flack states calmly and Bobby nods in agreement.

"What do you know about Lawrence James Hammond?" I ask him, and he hangs his head slightly.

"You mean L.J.? ... Damn it. I warned Reed..." he begins with a shake of his head and I quickly cut him off.

"What do you mean you warned Reed?"

"The first night we were in here, L.J. made some threats, and I told Reed the next day when he stopped by to see me"

"The next day? Reed was here?" I begin questioning, then realize he must have snuck down here when I had to meet with Sinclair. "Never mind, that's not important now. What kind of threats?" I inquire further.

"He blamed Reed for the bust when he found out that you... Well, when he found out about you. I tried to tell him that Reed wouldn't do that but he wouldn't listen to me. He said Reed better watch his back. And unfortunately L.J. always makes good on his threats."

"And you told Reed all of this?" Flack chimes in.

"Yeah, yeah. I told him to be careful. Wait a minute, you mean he didn't tell you any of this?" He asks, focussing his question towards me.

"No, he didn't tell me" I snap back at him. Why the hell didn't he tell me? Good question...

"Okay," Flack takes command again. "What else can you tell us about this guy? If he can't go home, where would he go? Does he have any friends, partners? Anything you can tell us would help."

"Nah, he pretty much works alone. Kind of keeps to himself you know? Not exactly the type of guy that anyone would want to be friends with. He used to have a partner, but that was a while back."

"What do you know about this partner?" I ask him with hopes that he'll be able to tell me something... anything.

"Oh, I don't know, I only met him a couple times. Him and L.J. were real tight though, they'd known each other since they were kids I guess."

"You got a name?" Flack questions further.

"Um... hmm..." he begins pondering. "It was kind of a different name... like Marlow, or Marshall or something with an 'M'..." he starts and I pull the pages of L.J.'s record that Adam had printed for me out of my back pocket and start flipping through them until I find the "Known Associates" section.

"Mason Campbell?" I ask as I read the first name on the list.

"Mason! That's it!" he exclaims with a snap of his fingers.

"Anything else we should know that you can tell us?" I quickly ask before we take our leave.

"Nah, sorry" he replies with a shrug.

"Well thanks for all your help" Flack tells him with a nod we turn back down the hallway.

I quickly reach for my phone as we head back to the elevator and dial Adam.

"Adam Ross."

"Adam, I need you to start running a search on a Mason Campbell, I need an address, and whatever else you can find on him. Flack and I are on our way back upstairs."

"You got it boss" he quickly complies and I hang up the phone.

"Think we'll get lucky?" Flack asks as we step back onto the elevator.

"Hope so..." I mumble back with a heavy sigh.

I'm so completely consumed with worry and fear that my brain actually hurts. What if we're too late? Should I have foreseen this? Why the hell didn't Reed tell me about the threats? I'm supposed to protect him, and now he's... oh I don't even want to think about it. _Stay positive Mac!_ I warn myself.

"Mac!" Flacks voice calls to me, and I am relieved from listening to my dark inner monologue any longer. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn't even notice the elevator doors open, so now Flack stands in the hallway waiting for me to join him.

"Sorry..." I mutter as I step off the elevator.

We head down the hall until we spot Adam, and head inside to see what he's come up with.

"Well?" I ask eagerly as we approach him.

"Meet Mason Campbell" he begins, turning the computer screen to face us.

"34 years old. The usual rap sheet; possession, trafficking, armed robbery, and most recently assault with a deadly weapon that landed him 5 years up state. Released 2 years ago on parole, been clean ever since."

My phone begins ringing in my pocket as Adam finishes telling me about Campbell. I pull my phone out, but when I read the caller I.D. I just roll my eyes and return my phone to my pocket.

"Sinclair..." I grumble. Who knows what he wants from me now, but whatever it is it's not important enough to warrant my attention right now.

"Ok Adam," I begin again. "You got an address on this guy?"

"Absolutely. Fortunately for us he still checks in with his parole officer." He tells me as he begins printing the information.

I go to reach for the paper when my phone rings again. I quickly hit the ignore button again as I read Sinclair's name on the caller I.D. once more.

I start glancing over the information on Mason Campbell when suddenly Flack's phone begins to ring.

"Well, he's relentless today" Flack scoffs as he too pulls out his phone and looks at the display.

"Don't answer it" I lightly demand. "We'll catch up with him later. Let's find Stella and Danny and we'll kick over some rocks at this Campbell guy's place, see what's underneath. Threaten a call to his parole officer and I'm sure he'll tell us whatever he can."

"Alright" Flack agrees and we leave Adam and head back into the hallway. As we get further down the hall I can hear a heated argument coming from Stella's office and we stop just outside her door, but remaining out of sight.

[Stella's POV]

"Listen Stella, stop leading me around in circles and just tell me what's going on!" Chief Sinclair demands with his voice still raised higher than I'd like it to be.

"Where's Taylor?!" He asks as his hands slam down on my desk.

"I don't know Chief, working on a case..."

"And what case might that be?"

"Look, why don't you ask him that?"

"I would if he would bother to pick up his damn phone!" He snaps back at me, and I can see his anger climbing, but I figure its Mac's place to tell Sinclair, not mine. If I have to endure a verbal beat-down or even a suspension in order to buy Mac some more time, then so be it.

"Are you sure you're dialling the right number? Have you tried e-mailing him? Or texting him? Oooh, you could leave him one of those yellow sticky notes in his office." I tell him sarcastically, and he's less than amused.

"Bonasera!" He finally snaps and I know I'm in for it now...

"You lookin' for me Chief?" Mac's voice calls out as he casually steps into my office and Flack follows him.

[Mac's POV]

I couldn't let Stella take the fall for me, so I knew I had to intervene.

"What's the matter, you don't answer your phone anymore?" Sinclair asks me angrily.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I was with Adam getting information on a case"

"And which case would that be? Would it be another one of Weiss' cases?" He asks angrily, and Flack and I both quickly look at each other.

"Yeah, I heard you were down there, now you want to tell me what exactly is going on?"

"Can you guys give us a minute?" I ask calmly as I look over to Flack and Stella. They both nod in agreement and quietly step out of the office and into the hallway.

"Well," Sinclair begins in an annoyed tone. "I'm waiting. And this better be good."

I let out a soft sigh, then decide to just dive right in, I don't think I have much of a choice at this point.

"You remember how I told you about my stepson?" I begin softly as I fill Sinclair in on the few details we have about his disappearance. He hears me out, and doesn't offer any interruptions, which I'm thankful for. Finally I finish telling him all the information we've collected so far and wait for him to respond.

"Okay..." he finally says with a heavy sigh. "Carry on with your investigation, but I want details every step of the way, and don't think you're getting out of this without a detailed case report when it's all over, understand?" He asks and I simply nod.

"And don't try and go all 'Captain Commando' on us; if you need back-up you call for back-up! You're team stays with you every step of the way. I mean it Taylor, if you go to take a piss, I want them waiting for you outside the door! You got me?" He snaps.

"I got, I got it" I quickly agree as I head for the door.

"And Taylor!" he calls me and I turn back to him.

"Be careful."

"I will Chief" I tell him as I finally head back out into the hall to meet with Stella and Flack who are now joined by Danny.

"Let's go" I mutter and they all quickly follow after me. There's no need to explain to them what happened with Sinclair, I'm sure they heard every word of it.

...

[L.J.'s POV]

As we get upstairs Mason quickly slams the basement door shut, then grabs me by the arm and pulls me back towards him, turning me around to face him.

"Look, before you jump to conclusions..." I begin, but before I can say another word he forces me up against the wall and holds me there with both his fists clenched onto my shirt.

"You've got 30 seconds to explain" he quickly warns me with a growl. "And don't play me!"

"Okay, okay!" I agree. "Taylor, he's the kid's stepfather, but they just met, and that's the truth. Trust me, it's not what you think. He wouldn't even notice if the kid was missing. They're not that close" I tell him, and at least it's not a total lie.

"You lied to me L.J. You said he doesn't have anybody, now there's a cop in the picture? I told you I didn't have a good feeling about this" He tells me and his grip on me finally loosens and I'm released from the wall.

"I'm sorry man," he continues in a softer tone. "You know you're like a brother to me, but I can't let you stay here. You gotta get that kid out of here."

"Alright, alright. Just let us chill here until nightfall, then we'll be out of here."

"No, I mean it, go get the kid, and get out. Now!" He starts with anger in his voice again as he starts pushing me back towards the basement door.

"Alright, already!" I finally snap. "Just get your hands off me!" I huff as I offer him a shove back.

I go to reach for the basement door when suddenly we are both startled by a loud pounding knock on the front door.

"This is the NYPD!" A voice calls on the other end of the door and Mason and I look at each other in horror.

"We'd just like to talk to you Mr. Campbell. Open the door please." the voice continues and the pounding on the door gets louder.

I look over to Mason again and he raises his gun towards the front door.

"I won't go back to prison..." he tells me with a look in his eye that scares even me. A look that I've never seen before in the 20 some-odd years that I've known him.

_This does not bode well for you Taylor..._ I tell myself inside as I nervously watch Mason pull back the hammer on the gun then ready his finger on the trigger.

****Thanks to all the faithful viewers for the remaining interest in this story =)**

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	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Please note that Chief Sinclair is just the Chief of Detectives, so don't be confused when I refer to the Chief of Police under a different name ;)**

**Now, on with the story...**

[Reed's POV]

Is that... Am I hearing things? I strain to listen closely and am rewarded with hearing another loud pound on the door and I hear a voice shout "NYPD!"

Never thought I'd be so happy to hear that.

I knew Mac would find me...

[Mac's POV]

I continue pounding furiously on the door with my uninjured fist while Flack calls for Campbell to open the door.

"Mr. Campbell, please open the door, we just need to talk." He tries again.

We wait for a moment and listen for movement inside the house but don't hear anything. Finally with our guns drawn, Flack carefully takes his free hand and reaches for the door handle and jiggles it slightly.

"Locked" he tells us with a frown.

"Everybody ready?" He asks us as he readies himself to kick the door open.

We all offer a nod but before he has a chance to force us inside we finally hear a voice on the other side of the door.

"The first cop to come through this door gets a bullet between the eyes!" We hear a desperate voice shout, and Flack quickly looks to me for some direction.

I signal to everyone to lower their guns and I step up closer to the door.

"Mr. Campbell, this is Detective Taylor, Crime Scene. We'd just like to ask you a few questions" I state calmly, as I'm still unaware of the reason he's so adamant that we don't come inside.

"Well, well, well; Detective Taylor" the voice starts in a mocking tone, "If I were you I'd take a step back, or you're going to be sending your team in here to clean up your boy's brains with a mop"

I think my heart has actually stopped beating and I feel my world coming to an end as I listen closely to the taunting voice, and see a small object being pushed under the door. I take a closer glance and see that it's one of the pictures of Claire that I had given to Reed, and I no longer have to wonder if he's bluffing me.

I don't even take the time to comprehend his threat, instead I lunge myself towards the door at full throttle; but I'm quickly grabbed and held back by Flack and Danny.

"Let me go!" I scream at them in protest with my arms flailing in an attempt to free myself, but they over power me and haul me down the steps and away from the door, and Stella reaches down to retrieve the picture.

I continue to struggle in their grasp as they desperately try to hold me back. Stella steps in front of me and places a hand on my chest.

"Mac," she begins softly. "You need to listen to me okay; if you go barging through that door you're only putting Reed and yourself in further jeopardy. You have to keep it together, Reed needs you now, okay?"

I finally put my struggling to rest and nod my head. She gestures to Flack and Danny and they release me from their grasp.

"So, what now..." Danny questions, looking at Flack for an answer.

"We need to bring in the professionals" Flack tells us as he runs towards his car and picks up the radio.

"Dispatch, this is Detective Flack. I have a hostage situation at 48 Wilson Boulevard in Queens; requesting immediate assistance."

"Copy that Detective Flack, I'll send back-up and have a hostage negotiator meet you on scene." The voice on the other end quickly replies and Flack hangs up the radio.

I offer Flack a glare when he makes his way back towards us, as I'm sure this will only make the situation worse, and put Reed's captors further on edge.

"I'm sorry Mac" he tells me as he approaches. "But these guys know how to handle this, alright? Trust me; you're going to want all the help you can get."

...

[L.J.'s POV]

"Are you crazy? What the hell are we doing here Mason?" I question the mad man standing before me that I used to call my friend.

"Would you rather I open the door and invite them in for a drink?" he snaps back at me.

"You know it's only a matter of time before this place is crawling with cops right? Oh, we are so screwed..." my voice trails off and I begin nervously pacing the living room floor.

"I told you, I'm not going back to prison. Let them come, let them all come, but they won't take me alive."

I give my head a quick shake as I listen to his display of complete lunacy.

"Look, you'll have to excuse me if I don't share your enthusiasm in this 'going down in a hail of gunfire; moment of glory' ending you've chosen for us, but I'd sooner go to prison thank you." I tell him as I push past him and head towards the basement door.

I hear more and more sirens quickly approaching the house, and figure it's only a matter of time before they find a way to get inside, and we'll have no place to run. At least if I give the kid back, they've only got me on kidnapping and not murder.

As I grab for the basement door handle Mason quickly charges at me, throwing himself into me and forcing me to go crashing up against the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" He growls at me as he twists me around to face him.

"I'm giving the kid back!"

"Like hell you are! That's our only leverage!" He screams at me as he pushes the barrel of the gun hard against my cheek.

"Oh if you point a gun at me you damn sure better pull the trigger!" I challenge him as I glare into his eyes without so much as a blink. I know he won't shoot me. Or, at least I think he won't...

"Damnit L.J.!" he yells as he pulls the gun away from my face and lands a hard punch on the door, right beside my head.

He paces back and forth in front of me for a few moments before finally stopping to speak.

"Why did you have to come here?" he asks in a calmer tone with his voice now shaking, and I empathize with him and begin to feel guilty that I got him involved.

"I'm sorry, okay. But we'll figure something out..."

"Look outside man!" his voice back to an angered shout as he walks over to the window and slightly pulls the curtain back to peer outside.

"The damn S.W.A.T. team is on my front lawn! This isn't exactly 'laying low' now is it?!"

"Look, you haven't even done anything, maybe..." I begin trying to reason with him but he quickly cuts me off.

"I haven't done anything? How about obstruction of justice, or aiding and abetting a criminal? Or how 'bout the fact that there's a 17 year old kid handcuffed in MY basement? With my record I'll be lucky if I even see a trial before they lock me up and throw away the key for good this time! No way man, aint gonna happen!"

...

[Mac's POV]

As the cavalry begins to arrive we are soon surrounded by dozens of police officers, and even the heavy artillery known as the S.W.A.T. team shows up. The media must have gotten wind of things already because there are even a couple of local television crews arriving on scene, and this place has turned into a full blown circus, which only frustrates me further.

"Get these animals the hell out of here!" I snap at a couple of officers, referring to the camera crews and they quickly begin setting up barriers and lining police tape around the perimeter.

I watch closely as the S.W.A.T. team huddles around their leader for further instructions.

"Okay, I want snipers in position on all the adjacent rooftops; but nobody takes a shot without my say so. Kessler, I need blueprints on the house; let's see if we can't find another way inside."

"I'm on it boss" he calls back.

"Everybody else, stay in position until I give the go ahead" he commands and they all disperse into their positions.

As more and more people show up; the Chief of Police included, I feel the control of the situation quickly slipping out of my hands, and I don't like it one bit. I appreciate that everyone is working hard and doing their jobs, but I'm used to being in charge on my crime scenes, and in this instance I have absolutely no professional authority over most of the people here.

"I don't like this Stella" I tell my partner as she leaves Flack's side and approaches me.

"I know..." She begins as she places a hand on my shoulder and lets out a soft sigh. "They're here to help us Mac. This is what they do, and you have to let them do it."

"I know..." I grumble while nodding my head.

...

[Reed's POV]

I was more than happy to hear the heavy thundering noise of all the police vehicles that made their way here so quickly; but as I still sit and wait, chained to this damn wall, I can't help but wonder what's taking them so long to come in here after me.

_Where are you Mac...?_

I still can't quite make out what's being said upstairs but I can certainly tell that they're arguing about something; as I've heard a few loud crashes, and their voices for the most part have been raised.

The longer I wait confined to this cold, damp room; the more I worry about my fate. Clearly they have no intentions of going down without a fight, and that in itself absolutely terrifies me.

_Please hurry Mac..._

...

[Mac's POV]

"Who's that?" Stella asks in curiosity as she glances across the street to a man dressed plainly in jeans and a baseball jersey. He reaches the police tape and tells the officers something and they lift the tape for him to proceed.

"Let's find out" I tell her and we hurry over to him. I'd like to do something useful while I'm here.

"Excuse me" I begin as we approach him.

"Hi, Jack Carter, I'm the negotiator" He introduces himself as he extends his hand to me.

I grab on and offer a firm handshake in return.

"Sorry about this" he continues as he glances down at his attire. "Was in the middle of coaching my sons little league game, but duty calls."

"I'm Detective Mac Taylor from Crime Scene; this is my partner, Stella Bonasera."

"Well, it's a pleasure detectives. You want to fill me on what we're dealing with here?"

I quickly divulge all the information I can, not skipping any details on my relationship to Reed and he listens intently.

"Well Detective Taylor, your boy is in good hands now okay? But I need you to trust me. Trust that Reed's safety is my first and only concern. Can you do that?"

"Yes" I offer weakly, not sure if I even believe myself.

"Okay, then let's get your boy back" He responds with a firm nod.

He quickly walks over to the Chief of Police, Mike Sullivan, and they begin discussing their 'plan of attack' as it were.

"Do we have a hard line set up yet?" I hear Jack yell a few minutes later to a couple of techs working away in the back of one of the police trucks.

"Got it!" One of them shouts back as he jumps out from the truck and runs over to hand Jack a cordless phone.

"Any time he picks up the phone it will ring to this one. And if you want to call him just hit number one" the tech explains and Jack nod's.

He signals for me to come over so I walk towards him. Once I reach him he tells the tech to set me up with a headset so that I can listen in on the phone calls, so I'm not left totally in the dark. For that I'm grateful, and offer him a sincere thank you.

"Are you ready Mac?" he asks me.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." I respond in truth.

"Okay, let's go fishing..." he begins as he presses a button and pulls the phone up to his ear.

I take a deep breath, and have to remind myself to keep a cool head, no matter what I hear.

...

[L.J.'s POV]

Mason and I both sit on the floor in the living room, all our energy now spent after fighting with each other instead of coming up with a plan to fight the real battle that waits for us outside his front door.

The phone begins to ring and we both jump slightly.

"Who the hell is that?" I ask frantically and Mason just looks at me like I'm an idiot.

"Gee Einstein, I don't know, maybe it's somebody offering me a better long distance plan" he snaps back at me as he pushes himself up off the floor and walks over to the phone.

"I'll handle this, you just sit still and keep your mouth shut" he demands before reaching for the phone.

"Identify yourself" he growls as he hits the speakerphone button so I can hear what's going on.

"This is Jack Carter."

"What can I do for you Jack?"

"I told you my name, now how 'bout you tell me yours?"

"Gee Jack, seeing as you called me, I think you already know my name."

"That's not how this works. See you get to ask a question, then I get to ask a question, okay?"

"Okay Jack. What's your question."

"What do you want Mason? Can I call you Mason?"

"Game over Jack, that was two questions!" he says with a slight sneer and picks up the receiver and slams it back down, hanging up the phone.

A few quick seconds go by then the phone rings again and Mason puts it back on speaker.

"Are you ready to play by the rules now Jack?"

"Yes. Now I need to know that Reed is safe in there."

"Oh yeah, ship shape. Nothin' to worry about Jack."

"That's not good enough Mason, I'd like to speak him. I need to hear his voice before you and I can go any further. Can you put him on please?"

Mason rolls his eyes and offers a heavy sigh before walking to the other room and picking up the cordless phone and carrying it down to the basement, with me following closely behind.

"Kid, it's for you" Mason growls at Reed and tosses him the phone.

Reed seems slightly stunned with fear, but after a few moments, with a look of confusion he finally puts the receiver to his ear.

"Mac...?" he whispers into the phone with his voice shaking and tears beginning to fall down his face.

"Alright, that's enough!" Mason snaps as he quickly snatches the phone from Reed's hand before anyone on the other end has a chance to answer.

"Satisfied?" Mason growls into the phone.

"Yes, thank you. Now what do you want from me Mason?"

"Well for starters, I'd like all these damn police officers off of my property!" he huffs as he makes his way back up the stairs.

"You know I can't do that Mason. Rule number 2, you can't me ask for something I can't give."

"Well see, I've never been one to follow rules, but I'm sure you already know that Jack."

"Look, it's my job to make sure everyone remains safe in there, and that everyone comes out of this alive."

"Oh yeah, Even me?"

"Even you Mason. Now tell me what's happening in there."

"Oh you know, we're just sittin' around, playing Monopoly" he responds sarcastically.

"You're lying Mason."

"So are you Jack" Mason fires back and hangs up the phone again.

"This is actually kind of fun" He tells me with a smirk, and now I know he's truly gone mad.

[Mac's POV]

I rip the headset off my ear and slam it down in frustration. When I heard Reed's frightened voice, I could feel my heart instantly breaking. He's alone, and scared and all I can do is sit out here and listen to it. I hate the fact that this Mason creep is just acting like this is all fun and games; and truth be told, it worries me even further that he can be so relaxed through all of this. What kind of psycho are we dealing with here?

"This guy isn't giving us anything!" I quickly snap at Jack.

"Relax Mac, this is just how it goes, give it some time" he tries to assure me.

"I might not have time!" I shoot back at him.

"You said you were going to trust me, remember?"

I let out a heavy sigh and mumble a half-hearted apology. He accepts and gives me a quick pat on the shoulder.

"I'm very good at what I do Mac. You just have to let me do it."

I just offer a quick nod then notice Stella walking towards me.

"You holding up okay?" She asks as she approaches me and drapes her arm across my back and places her hand on my shoulder.

"Hanging in there I guess..." I reply with shrug.

"Well I'm proud of you Mac. You've managed to handle yourself pretty well through all of this. I mean, _pretty well for you_" She tells me, but I'm afraid she's spoke to soon. For at that moment I look up to see the S.W.A.T. leader holding up blueprints to the house and I over hear him giving instructions to his team.

"There's a window here in the laundry room at the back of the house. If you can get inside there without being heard, you can make your way through the kitchen and then through this door is the front living room. We can take out both subjects in a surprise attack."

Are they crazy? I think to myself as I jump out of the back of the police truck and storm over to the S.W.A.T. leader.

"Are you insane?" I start hounding the unsuspecting leader. "You can't just go in there blind and start shooting! There's an innocent civilian in there!"

"And who might you be?" he asks me in a mocking tone.

"Detective Taylor from Crime Scene"

"Well Detective Taylor, why don't you let me do my job, and then when I'm done I'll let you do yours and you can send your little team in there to snap some pictures okay?"

That was more than enough to set me off so I lunge towards him, thrashing him into the side of the S.W.A.T. truck.

"Now you listen to me" I start growling while holding him captive against the truck and half of the guns that were on the house are now aimed at me.

"That's my kid in there we're trying to save, so if you don't call off this ridiculously dangerous scheme, then the next crime scene my team will be taking pictures of is yours; because if he dies by your actions, I swear to God I'll kill you myself!" I huff as I offer one last hard shove against the truck.

Flack and Stella come running towards me; Flack tells everyone to lower their weapons from me and Stella grabs me with one hand on my arm and the other on my chest as she pulls me back.

"Taylor!" I hear a voice call to me and turn to see Chief Sullivan running towards me.

"I understand your personal investment in this case, but one more outburst like that and I'll escort you out of here myself. Do you understand? This isn't your case anymore!"

Before I have a chance to respond, Stella pulls me away again, yelling back a quick apology to the Chief. She knows whatever I would have to say would be far from an apology so she doesn't give me the opportunity.

"Come on Mac, before we all get thrown out of here" she demands as she continues to pull me away.

I know she's right, so I don't bother resisting. She leads me to the one of the police trucks on the opposite side of the street and we walk around it to the side facing away from the crime scene, to be out of view from prying eyes. She knows I need a minute to cool down. Well, maybe more than a minute...

[Stella's POV]

Mac lets out a heavy sigh and slumps back against the truck. I know he's in hell right now, and I can't even say I blame him for his actions.

"You okay?" Is all I can think of to say.

"No... I'm not okay. Of all the things I am right now, 'okay' just didn't make the cut" he throws back at me sarcastically, but then quickly apologizes.

"I'm sorry Stella" he offers sincerely, then buries his face in his hands, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Don't be" I quickly tell him as I place a hand on his shoulder.

He moves his hands away from his face and I see his eyes welling up with tears. Wasn't sure I'd ever see the day that Mac Taylor cried, but now witnessing it and feeling my heart break with his, I wish I never had to.

He quickly tries to wipe the few tears away without me noticing them, but I grab his hand and pull it away. He looks up at me, but doesn't offer any words, just a look of pain and discouragement. I pull him towards me into an embrace, offering a shoulder for him to cry on for as long as he needs it. He grabs onto me tightly and we remain in each other's arms for what seems like a small eternity.

"We're going to get through this. We're going to get him back Mac, I know we will." I whisper softly as I rub his back, and I feel his head give me a nod.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt..." A voice calls and Mac and I quickly part from each other and look over to see Jack standing a few feet away.

Thankfully Mac's tears have mostly faded away by now, as I'm sure he wouldn't want anyone but me to see them.

"It's fine Jack" Mac begins as he clears his throat and walks towards him.

"I understand if you need a minute..." Jack persists.

"No, it's okay I've had my minute. So, what's happening now?"

"Well, I've talked to Chief Sullivan; he's agreed to give me full command on this case, which includes any and all decisions from the S.W.A.T. team having to go through me first."

"Finally, some good news" Mac replies with a sigh of relief.

"Well, just thought you'd like to know. I'm gonna get back over there." Jack tells us as he takes his leave and heads back across the street.

I go to leave as well when Mac grabs me by the hand and pulls me back towards him.

"Thank you. I'm glad you're here, I couldn't do this without you" he tells me sincerely as he pulls me into his arms for one last hug.

"I'll always be here" I reply softly as I pull my head back to offer him a smile.

"I know, I'm a lucky guy" he responds with a smile of his own and we quickly get our composure back together and head back to the scene.

****Well? What do you think? I thought I'd give you guys a break and leave you on a somewhat happy note, not another cliff hanger. Although, yes, I know I still haven`t resolved anything yet ;) **

**I wanted to take the time to show all the emotions that Mac is going through. Hopefully you felt them as you read this chapter :)**

**Send me a review and let me know your thoughts please XD****


	14. Chapter 14

[Mac's POV]

As Stella and I make our way back across the street to the crime scene, I can feel that much of the tension I was holding onto has at least somewhat subsided. I'm coming back into things with a clearer head, and am ready to face the next challenge, and do whatever I need to do to fight for Reed's safe return. Truthfully, I want nothing more than to bust the front door down myself and go in and get him, but I know that that's not an option. Still, I think about him in there, scared and alone with those two maniacs; and it just makes my blood boil. _Relax Mac_. I tell myself. _Clearer head remember? Right._

"Detective Taylor! Detective Taylor!" I hear the over-zealous reporters call my name and I attempt to just walk past them and pay no attention to their questions, but one question regrettably makes me stop for a moment and turn in their direction.

"Detective Taylor, is it true that your own son is the hostage?"

I freeze for a brief moment and can only offer a dumbfounded expression... _Get it together Mac_.

"Uh, no comment" I finally manage to tell the reporter who is desperately waving his microphone at me, hoping I'll give him something for the 6:00 news.

"Why did you assault the S.W.A.T. officer?" another asks and I know I have to get away from these vultures before I officially lose my mind.

"Alright folks, you heard him!" Chief Sullivan begins, as he comes to my rescue. "Detective Taylor has no comments at this time. I already gave you my official statement, now if you don't kindly back off, I will see that these barriers are moved back another 50 yards."

"Come on Chief, give us something! Who's the gunman, and has he made any demands?"

"I'm sorry, that is privileged information that I cannot divulge at this time, for the safety of hostage." He explains calmly, but the questions keep coming.

"You mean Detective Taylor's son?" One asks, trying to put words into the Chief's mouth.

"That's all for now, thank you" He tells them as he turns away from the mob of cameras and reporters, but still they continue shouting at him.

"Relentless..." he tells me with a frustrated sigh as we walk back towards Jack to discuss our next move.

...

[Reed's POV]

Time dwindles by me as I wait anxiously for this whole nightmare to be over. I don't even know how long I've been down here. There's no windows, so I have no clue whether its day or night. Scenarios start working their way around my tired brain. Some of them with a happy ending, and others not so much. Mac's gonna save me right? Oh God I hope so...

If he's out there right now, and I'm sure he is; I can't imagine what's going through his head. First off he's probably wondering why the hell I didn't tell him about L.J. in the first place, and frankly so am I. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20...

Still, I can't help but kick myself for the decision I made. I was naive to think that I could handle this on my own. I guess I've just never had to worry about anyone other than myself before, and likewise have never had anyone worry about me either.

...

[Mac's POV]

"Well Jack, what's the plan?" the Chief asks as we approach Jack.

"I need more time with this guy. I need some time to get inside his head, to figure him out."

"Time is a luxury we might not have Jack. It's been hours already and the longer we wait to make a move, the more anxious and restless those two are getting in there."

"Come on Mike, you know how this works..." Jack lightly begs, obviously growing more frustrated.

"I'll give you 1 hour Jack. After that, I'm going to allow Captain Vaughn and his S.W.A.T. team to take over."

"An hour?!?" Jack scoffs. "Are you kidding me?"

"Look, I'm sorry Jack, but the press is all over this, and I've got the mayor breathing down my neck; I've got to do something. You have one hour."

With that, he turns on his heel and walks away. Jack looks at me with true remorse and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry Mac. But don't worry, I'm not giving up. If I've only got an hour, then I promise you I will make the most of it. I'd much rather get Reed out of their on my own terms, and I swear I'll do everything I can to ensure that happens."

"I know Jack. I trust you." I tell him, sincerely this time. I know he doesn't like this any more than I do, and appreciate his compassion.

"Alright, are you sure you're ready for this again?" Jack asks me as he goes to reach for the phone.

"Ready." I reply with a firm nod as I pick up my headset and put it on.

He picks up the phone and dials "1".

"Jack?" Masons voice answers on the other end.

"Yeah, it's me Mason. Listen, how's everybody doing in there?"

"We're doing just fine Jack. How are you doing?"

"Well I gotta tell you, there are some nervous people out here Mason."

"Some more nervous than others I bet, huh? You can tell Detective Taylor that his whiny little brat is just fine."

"What's it gonna take for this to be over?"

"Rule number 2 Jack, I can't ask you for something you can't give, remember?"

"And what would that be?"

"No jail time."

"You're right, I can't give you that, but we can talk about this. Give yourselves up and I'll make certain that you do the absolute minimum sentence."

"Sorry Jack, not good enough." He growls and hangs up the phone.

I toss my headset back on the desk and bury my head in my hands, letting out a frustrated sigh. Time is even more critical now, and Mason just keeps wasting it. I can only hope that Jack is as good as he says he is...

"Mac!" A voice shouts, pulling me out of my thoughts. It's familiar, yet I can't place it. I begin searching the scene with my eyes, to see who's calling for me.

"Mac! Over here!" the voice shouts again and I look over to see Cassie fighting with two officers for them to allow her access onto the scene.

"_Oh great"_ I sigh inwardly. This is the absolute last thing I need. I can't even keep my own emotions in check, never mind a teenage girl.

I quickly look around for Stella, but don't see her anywhere nearby, so I let out another sigh and make my way over to Cassie.

"She's okay; she's with me." I tell the two officers and they reluctantly raise the police tape for her to duck underneath.

She quickly comes running toward me with a look of panic.

"Is it true? Is it Reed in there? My dad was watching the news, and I overheard your name mentioned a few times and... Is it true? Please just tell me!" she blurts out, barely making any sense as all her words just seem to run together.

"Yes Cassie, I'm sorry to tell you it's true" I tell her in a soft tone and she instantly begins tearing up.

"I'm sorry" she tells me as she tries to fight the tears. "look at me, I can't even imagine how you're feeling"

That's right, she can't. But still, I feel for her as I can tell she obviously cares about Reed; so I take my arm and wrap it around her shoulder to offer any comfort I can.

"Don't be sorry" I assure her as she just starts sobbing more.

_Now what?_ I ask myself. _Ugh, where is Stella?_

I hold onto Cassie for a few more moments until she gets her composure back and the tears finally stop running down her face.

"Does Reed's dad know yet? Have you called him? He must be worried sick!" she asks and I am stunned by the question. _Reed's what???_

"What do you mean?" I quickly ask.

"Reed's dad... In Miami..." she tells me in a confused tone, as if I should know exactly what she's talking about.

"Reed doesn't..." I begin but then stop myself when I realize he must've made up some story as to why he's staying with me. "he uh, they don't talk anymore..." I finish with a lie, hoping it sounded convincing enough. I'm not going to get into the sordid details now; that's up to Reed.

"Oh..." Is all she responds with, which is more than fine by me.

"Stella!" I shout as I see her round a corner of one of the police trucks. _Thank God..._

"Cassie?" she asks, looking just as shocked as I was as she approaches us.

"It appears I've made the evening news..." I tell her with huff.

"Well, you did attack the captain of the S.W.A.T. team..."

"Now that I don't regret, he deserved it."

"Yeah, they've replayed that like a hundred times" Cassie tells me and I roll my eyes.

"Anything for a headline huh?" I tell Stella with a frown.

"Mac I think Jack was looking for you" Stella informs me and I'm relieved.

"Just go, I'll stay with Cassie" she lightly demands and I'm more than happy to comply.

"Thanks Stell." I tell her as I part from them and make my way back over to Jack.

...

[Reed's POV]

It seems pretty quiet upstairs, and I'm not sure why. What on earth is going on up there? I just want this to be over...

I hear the slow creaking of the basement door opening again and I tense up against the wall as I hear footsteps coming towards me.

As he steps closer towards me, I'm almost relieved to see that it's L.J. and not that other guy. Sure, L.J. is a total creep, but this Mason guy scares the hell out of me. At least with L.J. I know what his motives are, but Mason... I don't know. It almost seems like he's just in it for kicks. I know what L.J. is capable of, and the fact that even he seems to be afraid of Mason, only further justifies my fear.

What does he want from me now? I wonder. Probably making sure that his 'insurance policy' is still alive and well so they can buy themselves some more time.

"Hey!" he barks at me as he crouches down to my eye level.

"Drink this!" he demands as he passes me a glass of clear liquid.

"What's in it?" I instantly question, not trusting him farther than I can throw him.

"Water! Now drink it!" he snaps back as he shoves the glass into my free hand.

I stare into the glass for a few moments, then back at L.J.

"What's a matter? Don't trust me?" he asks with a grin.

"Gee, why would that be?" I throw back at him sarcastically, and his grin turns to an angry frown.

"Drink it, or you're going to wear it!"

A threat? Now that's something from him I can trust. And since I'm already shivering from sitting on this cold hard floor for the past God knows how many hours, I'd rather not be drenched with water, so I take a sip; stopping to sniff it first, just to be sure.

"Told you it was only water" He replies with a sneer as I lower the glass back down from my lips, and he snatches it from my hand.

He turns to head back up the stairs when I quickly stop him.

"Wait!" I yell and he stops and turns back towards me.

"I have to use the bathroom" I tell him, which has a slight hint of truth to it, but really I just want to get off this floor, even if it's just for a minute. Besides, who knows when I'll get another chance.

He takes a moment to mull over my request before rolling his eyes and letting out a loud huff as he decides to give in and walks towards me.

"Don't try anything stupid, you understand me?" he asks before releasing my wrist from the handcuff, and I offer a quick nod.

He takes a quick look around then finally slips the key into the handcuff and turns it. I instantly grab my wrist with my other hand as it's freed from the wall. It's red and raw, and hurts like hell. My entire arm is numb and pain instantly rushes into my body as I'm able to relax my arm.

He grabs me by my good arm and hauls me to my feet. My legs wobbly at first, as I haven't stood on them for... well, I'm not sure how long. Too long, anyway.

He holds on to me by the back of my sweater and starts pushing me towards the stairs. I quickly grab for the railing to support myself while I try to slowly make my way up the stairs, but L.J. continues pushing me along.

"Come on, move it or lose it, let's go!" he snaps at me as he takes his free hand and slaps the back of my head.

"Alright, alright, take it easy!" I huff as I use the railing as leverage to get myself up the stairs faster than my legs are capable of carrying me.

We finally reach the top and he pushes the door open. I see Mason standing a few feet away and as he notices us, he quickly draws his gun and aims it at us.

"What the hell are you doing?" he growls at L.J.

"Relax, the kid had to use the bathroom. But if you'd rather, I could let him go on your floor downstairs..."

"You've got 60 seconds kid! And don't let him out of your sight L.J.!" Mason commands us with a stiff glare as he tucks his gun back into his pants.

I'm led into the bathroom and thankfully L.J. doesn't follow me this far. He closes the door and leaves me alone in the bathroom. I quickly look around and curse under my breath when I realize there's no windows in here, and absolutely no other means of escape.

I decide to go ahead and take advantage of my bathroom privileges, since this might be my only chance to go. I finish up and open the door to see L.J. standing in front of me staring at his watch.

"58 seconds. Very impressive. Now let's go!" he demands as he latches on to the back of my sweater again and continues pushing me along through the hallway. As we make our way back to the basement door, the phone suddenly rings and L.J. and I both stop in our tracks as Mason reaches for the phone and hits the speaker button, not realizing I'm still within earshot.

"What is it this time?" He growls.

"Do you have any other demands?"

"I'm not greedy, and the one thing I want, you can't give me. So where does that leave us Jack?"

"I tell you what, why don't you let me inside and we can discuss your options?"

"Ha! Nice try Jack!"

"No, I mean it. No guns, no back-up, just you and me. Man to man, you let the kid go and you get me instead. Come on Mason, a cop in exchange for the kid? That's a pretty good deal."

"Hmmm, tempting but I'm gonna have to pass on that one."

I finally understand what's been taking so long for me to be rescued. Trying to negotiate with this head case? Good luck! This is a man that I'm sure can not and will not be reasoned with. My anxiety grows with every second, as I start to come to terms with the fact that I just might not make it out of here. Now that he knows that I'm not his 'get out of jail free card', what's to stop him from ending my life? I can't even think straight anymore, which is why I stupidly let myself throw all caution to the wind and decide it's time to make a break for it. After all, the front door is a mere few feet away, and this might be my only chance.

With Mason distracted by the phone call, I quickly throw my elbow back, landing a hard blow to L.J.'s nose and he instantly releases his hold on my sweater and grabs for his bleeding nose.

"You little..." he begins screaming at me, but I don't look back, just continue running as fast as I can to the door. I reach for the handle, and then *BANG*I immediately drop to the floor.

...

[Mac's POV]

I hear sounds of a struggle in the distance on the phone, then a scream, then a single gunshot that echoes throughout the entire crime scene. My heart stops in that moment, and the world around me goes silent. I look at Jack in horror as we hear the phone line go dead. A sudden flash of something I've never felt before comes over me and I jump out of the police truck and scramble across the front lawn and up the steps to the door.

"REED!" I scream as I hurl myself into the door and go barrelling through it, not thinking twice about the consequences.

...

[Reed's POV]

As I hear the deafening gunshot, I drop to the ground with my arms covering my head and I remain still, not even sure yet what just happened, or whether or not I'm even hurt. Before I have a chance to move, I am quickly grabbed from the back of my hair and hauled to my feet. Mason turns me to face him and I quickly notice the gun still in his hand. He grabs on to the back of my sweater and leads me away from the door. We are forced to step over L.J.'s lifeless body that lies inches from the front door with a large pool of blood underneath it. He must have been running after me and gotten in the way when Mason shot at me. Something tells me that next time I won't be so lucky...

My brain is fuzzy, and I'm not even sure yet what's happened, and then I hear a frantic yell from Mac.

_Oh no..._

...

[Mac's POV]

As I force my way inside of the house, I stop dead in my tracks when I almost stumble over the body on the floor, then look up to see the look of panic in Reed's eyes as he stands a few feet in front of me in Mason's grasp with a gun held to his temple. I watch tears stream down Reed's face, and the look of terror in his eyes makes my heart sink down to my stomach. _What have I done?_

"Not a very smart move dad!" Mason taunts as he pushes the gun harder into Reed's temple

"Don't hurt him, please!" I beg him with my arms raised slightly in front of me, showing him I came in unarmed.

"Now where would be the fun in that Detective?" he replies with an evil grin.

"Look, if you walk out of here with us unharmed, you've got some options, okay?" I try reasoning with him.

"Are all cops this thick headed?" He snaps back at me. "It's like I already told your buddy Jack, I'm not interested in your options. The only option I'm considering right now is whether to kill him first and make you watch; or the other way around." He replies in a chilling tone that sends a shiver down my spine.

...

[Stella's POV]

"Mac, wait!" I scream at him after I hear the gunshot, and notice him dashing across the front lawn. Unfortunately my screaming does no good as I watch in horror while he throws himself into the door, and runs into what I can only assume will be certain death.

"Alright, nobody moves!" Jack yells over the crowd of police officers and S.W.A.T. members.

"You stay in position until I give the signal!" he warns again, knowing as well as I do that if he sends an army through that door that Mac and Reed will be killed for sure.

I have to remind myself to keep breathing as I keep my eyes fixated on the house.

_Come on Mac..._

...

[Mac's POV]

Thankfully nobody has come running in after us yet, and I'm sure that's thanks to Jack. But I know he won't be able to hold them off for long. I need to do something, and quickly.

"Look, just let him go. You can take me instead, just please, let him go." I try to persuade Mason who is clearly growing more anxious by the second.

"No, I can't..." he begins with his voice now shaking and his eyes starting to well up with tears.

I quickly decide to act on his now vulnerable state, as it might be my only chance to get an upper hand on him.

"Come on Mason!" I snap at him.

"How far are you going to let this go on? You've already killed your partner!"

"That was an accident!!!" He screams at me through tears as he takes the gun away from Reed's head and points it at me in desperation.

"Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night" I throw back at him and watch his emotions continue to sky rocket as his face turns to a deep shade of red and the veins in his forehead begin throbbing.

"Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!" he screams even louder as he takes a step closer to me, dragging Reed with him; then pulling back the hammer on the gun with his thumb as it remains aimed for my chest.

...

[Reed's POV]

What the hell is Mac doing? He's yelling at the homicidal maniac that's holding a gun to my head??? As Mason screams at him and takes the gun away from me and points it in Mac's direction I can see the tension in Mac's shoulders starting to ease, then I figure out exactly what he's up to. He's actually trying to provoke Mason further, to take the attention away from me and put it towards himself. I should have known... Now I remember why I didn't want Mac involved in the first place.

_Here it is, the White Knight Express, pulling into the station right on time..._

The thought of Mac being hurt or killed in order to protect me gives me exactly the surge I needed to push my fears and panic aside long enough to fight back.

Without a second thought, I throw my shoulder as hard as I can against Mason and we stumble a few feet back into the wall, causing his gun to drop to the floor. Before either of us has a chance to move away from the wall, Mac pounces on Mason forcing him to the ground.

"Reed, get out of here, go!" Mac screams at me as he wrestles with Mason on the floor, their bodies so jumbled together that I can't even tell who's who.

I freeze for a moment, and just watch the two of them in panic.

"Reed, go! Now!" He yells again, just as Mason lands a punch to his face and starts to claw his way across the floor, desperately reaching for the gun.

I decide to make a dash for the front door, hoping once I'm outside I can get some help in here for Mac, but as I make my way out the front door I don't even have a chance to speak before I'm quickly mauled by several S.W.A.T. officers .

"Let me go!" I start yelling while trying to struggle my way out of their grasp; but they pick me up and begin dragging me away from the house anyway.

"He needs help, please!" I try yelling again but I'm not even sure they're listening to me. These guys don't mess around and I'm sure they're only mission is to get me to safety, but still I can't help but continue in my useless fight to free myself.

"DAD!!!" I scream desperately towards the house as tears stream down my face, and everything around me seems to be moving in slow motion as I'm carried further away from the house, my legs and arms still struggling to be free.

Another gunshot goes off, just as the officers finally set me down to my feet next to the ambulance where paramedics are standing by. I fall to my knees as I feel the echo of the gunshot like a knife through my heart.

_Why did I leave his side?_

...

[Stella's POV]

As I'm forced to stand back and do nothing, I can't even allow myself to watch any longer as I think about what's going on inside that house. I quickly turn away to see Flack coming up behind me with Danny following closely behind and I collapse into Flack's arms as my knees go weak and I feel tears finally coming on. I can't stay strong any longer. I was strong earlier for Mac because he needed me to be, but with him now out of my sight and his life in serious jeopardy, I'm the one that needs strength. Flack holds me tightly against his chest, and Danny rests a hand on my shoulder in an effort to comfort me but I know I won't feel any better until I see Mac and Reed emerge from the house safely.

Being that Cassie is a civilian, she was eventually escorted away from me and forced to remain inside one of the police trucks until this is over. I'm relieved now that I know I don't have to put on a brave face for her any longer, because at this moment, it's me that needs a shoulder to cry on. I remain in Flack's arms for a few more moments until suddenly I hear a lot of commotion coming from the house. I dare to turn and look, and see Reed come outside, unfortunately without Mac. He is quickly pounced on by the S.W.A.T. team and I watch in sorrow as he desperately struggles to free himself from their grasp. He begins screaming frantically that Mac needs help and as soon as the words leave his lips Flack, Danny and I quickly look at each other, then begin running towards the house. Chain of command be damned; that's Mac in there, and he would undoubtedly do the same for any of us.

We run as fast as our legs will allow us, as we dodge through the swarm of police officers and vehicles surrounding the scene. We get about half way across the lawn when we hear another gunshot go off. We instinctively stop dead in our tracks and exchange horrified glances.

_Oh God, please be okay Mac..._

****I'm evil, I know, leaving you hanging like this. But hey, at least Reed is okay right?**

**I promise to update soon ;) Maybe even by tomorrow night. Will probably be the final chapter next. Please review!** **


	15. Chapter 15 Final Chapter

****The final chapter... ENJOY!****

The three of us stand still, frozen with fear as we hear the loud crackle of the second gunshot. We only remain frozen for a brief moment, but it feels like an eternity as I actually have to tell myself to breathe. After a deep breath I quickly snap out of my horrified daze, and turn back toward the house and continue running; Flack and Danny beginning to follow closely behind again with the S.W.A.T. team also now in tow.

_Sure, now they help..._

"MAC?!" I yell frantically as I reach the front door.

Before I have the chance to push myself inside, I'm practically trampled by the S.W.A.T. team who have now caught up to me and charged their way inside the house, barrelling right past me like a herd of buffalo. I'm quickly swept aside and away from the door, nearly losing my footing I grab onto the railing by the door to keep myself from being knocked over. As about two dozen of them run past me and tread inside the house Flack and Danny finally find room to make their way up the steps to the house.

"You okay?" Flack quickly asks me before pulling me upright.

"Yeah, I think so..." I tell him, slightly out of breath.

We try to push ourselves inside the door, but we are crammed in the heavy traffic and forced to wait in the busy front hallway of the house that is now swarming with S.W.A.T. officers as a few of them frantically scatter to every room to inspect it.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

I hear about 8 times while they check each room.

"Medic!" One finally yells and I feel that familiar lump in my throat. I still can't see past the sea of the black vests, helmets, and shields that armour them.

I desperately try to peer around to see anything at all, and try my best to fight my way through the crowd but don't get very far.

"Paramedics, coming through!" I hear from behind me and see two young paramedics entering the house with a stretcher and the S.W.A.T. team make a path for them to get through so I quickly get behind them and follow.

We get down through the hallway and as we start to turn the corner into an open living room, I spot a pool of blooding on the floor and another breath doesn't escape my lungs until I completely round the corner to see Mac; alive and being helped to his feet.

_Thank God_ I tell myself as I finally allow myself to exhale. Flack and Danny both rush to my side and each place a hand on my shoulders as we watch the paramedics force Mac to sit on the stretcher.

A few feet beside me I see the source of the pooling blood, Mason Campbell. An officer is crouched down, feeling for a pulse before he pulls out his radio to inform his captain that the perimeter has been cleared and that both suspects are D.O.A.

"Detective Taylor, please" the paramedic lightly begs Mac as he tries to keep him seated on the stretcher. The other grabs some gauze and applies it to the gash on his forehead.

"I'm fine." Mac quickly snaps as he pushes her hand away from his head.

"Where's my son, I want to see my son!" He demands as he pushes himself up off the stretcher, but they grab onto his arms to hold him still.

He hasn't even noticed the three of us watching him yet as there are still a hefty number of S.W.A.T. officers crowding the room.

"It's okay!" I finally pipe up as I push myself past a couple officers.

"Stella! Where's Reed? Is he alright?" he asks with an overwhelmingly concerned tone.

"I think he's fine, he's with some paramedics right now. Which is where you should be" I lightly demand as I reach for a fresh gauze pad and press it to his forehead.

"I'll take him out to the other ambulance" I assure the paramedics with a nod as I take my free hand and use it to bring Mac's left hand up to hold the gauze in place. I quickly throw Mac's right arm around my shoulder and grab onto his hand, then wrap my other arm around his waist to offer him enough support to walk out of the house.

...

[Mac's POV]

Besides being slightly bruised and battered, I think I'm perfectly fine. However, the gash on my head that I received after Mason had clubbed me with the butt end of his gun left me feeling slightly dizzy, and my vision a little impaired, so I allow Stella to help me as I make my way outside.

As we step outside the house, dozens of cameras start snapping photos, and reporters are yelling questions that I can't even comprehend as they all shout at the same time. I don't even offer them a glance; I just continue walking in the direction Stella leads me. As we get through the clearing of police trucks and squad cars I finally see an ambulance parked on the opposite side of the street, and Reed is sitting in the back of it with a blanket draped over him, and a concerned Cassie sitting next to him, gripping his hand tightly.

"Hey, Mac!" we stop and turn slightly to see Jack coming towards us.

"Jack" I greet him as I lift my arm off of Stella's shoulder and extend my hand to him.

"Well, not exactly how I saw this all going down, but I guess 'all's well that ends well', right?"

"Yeah, I guess so" I respond with a nod and an appreciative smile.

"Reed is one tough kid Mac, but stubborn, like you. It wasn't until I told him you were safe that he finally complied with the paramedics."

"Gee don't know where he gets that from" Stella throws at me with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Well, speaking of Reed, I guess you're anxious to see him, so I'll leave you to it. It's been a pleasure Mac, Stella." Jack tells us both with a nod and turns away and back towards the chief.

Feeling slightly less dizzy now I walk on my own the rest of the way to Reed.

"Mac!" he exclaims as he sees me approaching.

"Are you alright?" I quickly question as I watch the paramedics carefully examining him.

"I think so... A little banged up maybe"

"Is he okay?" I ask again, this time directing my question to the paramedic.

"Vital signs appear normal" he begins as he examines Reed's pupils with a small light.

"But we have to take him to the hospital for further observation. It's standard protocol. We need to be certain that there is no internal bleeding."

"Can we have a minute?" I ask him as he finishes up his initial quick exam.

"Yeah, sure" He tells me with a smile; then backs a few feet away.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, Mac I'm fine. How about you? Are you okay?"

"Me? Come on" I reply with a scoff and tousle his hair slightly.

"Just another day at the office" I tell him and flash a quick smile but his facial reaction turns into one of remorse.

"Mac, I'm so sorry, I know I screwed up, I should have told you and..." he begins with tears starting to fall again and I quickly take a step closer to him and pull his head against my chest and he wraps his arms around my waist, letting out a few quiet sobs. I rest my chin on the top of his head and stare up towards the sky and silently thank God, and my overwhelming look of relief isn't lost on Stella as she places her hand on my shoulder blade and rubs small circles around it.

"It's okay. It doesn't matter now, as long as you're safe" I begin while still holding him. "Having said that... If you ever do it again, you're grounded Mister!" I tell him and he lets out a small chuckle as he pulls back from me and wipes the tears away from his face, finally revealing his smile.

"Yes sir!"

"That's my boy!" I reply with a wink.

"Detective..." The paramedic interrupts and I give him my attention.

"Right, sorry. Ok, let's pack it up I guess. I'm going with Reed, Stella can you take Cassie home? It's starting to get late, and Reed will need his rest tonight" I tell them and they both nod in agreement.

"Call me tomorrow?" Cassie asks, looking at Reed.

"Absolutely" he replies with another smile.

The paramedic instructs Reed to lie down on the stretcher so that he can strap him in and he complies.

"I'll meet you at the hospital" Stella tells me and I could tell her that I'll be fine until I'm blue in the face but I know it wouldn't stop her from coming to lend her support, so I don't even bother bringing it up; instead I just comply with a nod and hand her my keys.

"Flack can take you back to the lab to pick up my truck, and I'll see you in a bit."

Stella and Cassie take their leave and the paramedic finishes strapping Reed into the stretcher and I quickly hop into the back of the ambulance.

The ride to the hospital is spent mostly in silence, as I try my best to keep my composure in front of Reed. He's been through enough, and I wouldn't want to upset him any further so I keep the whirlwind of emotions I'm feeling locked away inside.

...

[Reed's POV]

I'm not quite sure what Mac's deal is, but I think I can safely assume that he's putting his brave face on for my benefit; as usual. After the hell I put him through today, I wouldn't bother pushing anything so I don't say much of anything on the ride to the hospital. I'm sure we'll talk about it later, but for now I'll just take these few moments to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to consider him my family.

...

[Mac's POV]

We finally reach the hospital and Reed is quickly wheeled away by a doctor and a few nurses who were already informed and awaiting his arrival.

"Detective Taylor?" I'm greeted by another doctor who was also waiting for us.

"Yes?" I question him, but don't take my eyes off of the stretcher carrying Reed that is being pulled down the hallway.

"Don't worry, he's in good hands. He'll have to be checked out, but they'll let you know as soon as you can see him. I'm Dr. Simmons, by the way. And I'm going to have to take a look that gash on your forehead."

"I'm fine, it's nothing" I grumble.

"Please, detective. Just come with me, it will only take a couple minutes, I'll get you stitched up and then take you to wait for Reed's doctor."

I know he's right, my head is pounding and the gauze pad that Stella had given me is already soaked through with fresh blood, I'll need stitches for sure, and I'm still feeling slightly dizzy. So I finally comply and follow the doctor towards an exam room, now that I am certain Reed is being looked after.

...

[Stella's POV]

After Flack had driven me to take Cassie home, it's now just him, Danny and I as we approach the parking lot of the lab.

"You sure you don't need us to come with you to the hospital?" Flack asks.

"No, no. It's fine. You guys can go home and get some sleep. I'll let you know how everyone's doing; I just have to check on Mac."

"Yeah, I can't imagine..." Flack begins with his voice trailing off and he shakes his head slightly.

"Give him our best okay?" Danny asks and I nod.

I step outside the car and get into the truck and head towards the hospital.

Once I arrive at the hospital and make my way inside, I reach the reception desk and ask for Reed. The nurse directs me to the hallway where his room is, but informs me I will have to wait outside for the doctor.

I round the corner towards Reed's room and find Mac sitting in a chair outside the room. He has a pensive look on his face, and hasn't even noticed me yet as I continue towards him.

"Hey" I greet him softly and he rises to his feet, but keeps his gaze to the floor.

"Hey."

"How's he doing?"

"No word yet, doctor hasn't come out."

"How about you?"

"I'm fine. Mild concussion, couple stitches, no big deal."

"That's not what I meant" I tell him quietly as I lift his head up to bring his gaze to me.

His eyes are cloudy and slightly red, and as I look into them I know he's on the brink of his emotional sanity. I don't bother saying another word, I just wrap my arms around him in an embrace and he rests his chin on my shoulder and grips his arms around me tightly.

We spend the next few moments in silence, and locked in our embrace until we finally hear the door to Reed's room open up.

"Detective Taylor? Dr. York, It's a pleasure to meet you." He greets us and Mac and I quickly part.

"How is he?" Mac immediately questions.

"He's holding up pretty good, he took a bit of a beating, and there's some bruising and swelling, but no internal damages. He'll be pretty sore for the next couple of days, but I've given him a prescription to help with the pain. He might be a little groggy, but the medication is supposed to help him sleep.

"So I can take him home?"

"Yes, just make sure he gets lots of rest, and takes it easy the next few days."

"Of course, thank you doctor"

"You're welcome. I'll have an orderly bring a wheelchair for him. It's hospital policy that he is escorted out in a wheelchair, because of the medication I've given him."

"Sure doc" Mac complies with a nod and the doctor heads down the hallway.

"Well, I'll let you have a minute with Reed. I'm going to go down the hall and grab some coffee. You're going to need it since you can't go to sleep if you have a concussion."

"Right. Thanks Stella. Uh, for everything" He responds with his warm smile that I've been waiting to see all night.

"You're welcome"

...

[Mac's POV]

As Stella takes her leave I turn to Reed's room and push the door open. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, so I walk over and plunk myself down beside him.

"How you feeling?" I ask him while placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kinda tired... You? How's your head?"

"I'm okay. Just a mild concussion, nothing major"

"All in a day's work right?" he asks with a slight grin.

"That's right"

"Well I'm glad you're okay. Can we go home?"

"You bet. Just waiting for the orderly to bring a wheelchair. And before you fight me on it, it's hospital policy."

"Something tells me that's a fight I wouldn't win anyway" he counters with a smile. "Does anybody ever win in a fight against you?"

"Just me" we hear a voice call from the doorway and I smile when I see Stella leaning on the doorframe with 2 coffee cups in her hands. I'd like to throw a smart and witty comeback at her, but can't come up with anything because... well, because she's right. I know it, she knows it, hell Reed probably even knows it by now.

"Hey Stella" Reed greets her as she walks into the room and passes me one of the coffees.

"Hi Reed. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. A little tired and sore, but other than that, I'm good. So, what's the deal here, Mac takes care of me, and you take care of him?" he asks her with a slight grin.

"Well, somebody has to. God knows he won't take care of himself" she counters as she nudges me with her elbow.

"So, we're back to you two ganging up on me again?" I ask them and they both chuckle.

"It's good to be back though, isn't it?" Stella asks with her voice soft again and I feel my heart wrench again.

"Yeah..." Is all I can manage to say while I pull Reed's head against my shoulder and let out a heavy sigh of relief that this mess is all behind us. Stella smiles at me and places a warm hand on my other shoulder.

"Okay, giddy up!" The orderly bellows a few seconds later as he enters Reed's room with the wheelchair and pats the seat, interrupting what will probably forever be one of my most precious memories.

Stella offered to drive Reed and I home because first of all, her car is still at my apartment, and second of all I am in no physical condition to be driving.

The ride back to my place is one of silence mostly; none of us really sure what to talk about. Truth be told I think we're all a little too emotionally drained to talk about today's events so we opt not to talk about anything at all.

We finally reach my building and I hop out of the truck and open Reed's door and help him out. He lets out a slight wince of pain as he climbs out.

"You alright?" I ask him concerned.

"Yeah, fine" he assures me as he holds one hand to his stomach. "I just want to get upstairs. You coming up Stella?"

"Oh, uh, no I don't think so. You need your rest" She explains politely and I look back to Reed, wondering if he's already back on his delusional theory of there being something going on between Stella and I that I'm not telling him.

"Oh believe me, I plan on getting my rest; which is why you should come in. Somebody's gotta keep Mac awake and it aint gonna be me" He tells her while letting out a long yawn and rubs his tired eyes.

"Well, I did just pump myself full of caffeine" she replies, looking back at me with a shrug.

"Okay you two, come on, it's settled" Reed exclaims before I even have a chance to get my own two cents in. I offer a shrug in Stella's direction to which she smiles and we all head inside.

Once inside I help Reed to his room and let out a soft sigh as I turn on the light and see the trashed room I left behind this morning. Large fist sized hole in the wall, and clothes scattered all over the floor.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about all this..." I mumble with my voice trailing off.

"No, it's fine" Reed assures me.

"I'll pick all these clothes up, and I'll get the wall fixed tomorrow" I tell him with another sigh.

"Don't worry about any of that now, I'm tired I just need to go to sleep" He replies with another yawn as he slowly crawls into his bed, not even bothering to change into sleeping clothes. He lets out another small wince of pain as he curls up on the bed and clutches onto his pillow, and his eyelids fight to stay open.

I pick his extra blanket up off the floor and throw it over him and he pulls it up around his neck.

"Goodnight Dad..." he manages to mumble through a yawn, and his eyes finally close. Whether it's the drugs talking or not, hearing him call me that puts a warm smile on my face.

"Goodnight son" I reply in a soft whisper and turn off the light to head back into the hallway, closing his door behind me.

...

[Stella's POV]

The pot of coffee I had put on finally finishes brewing, so I take two mugs from the cupboard and pour us each a cup. I let out a heavy sigh and give my head a quick shake before walking back out to the living room with the coffee where I find Mac sitting on the sofa.

"Here you go" I offer him one of the mugs and sit down next to him.

"Thanks, but really you don't have to stay. You can go if you're tired, I'll be fine"

"I know you would be, but I'd like to stay, if that's okay?" I tell him, trying to hid my slightly shaking voice.

"Of course it is. Is everything alright?" He asks me, and I know I could try and lie to him but he knows me too well and would see right through it. The truth is the emotional day is starting to catch up to me as well, and Mac has just always been the one that's there for me. So now I'm torn because in this situation it should be me being there for him, but I've felt an uneasy knot in my stomach since he went tearing into that house a few hours ago because I thought for sure I had lost him.

"Stella, what is it?" He shifts on the sofa to turn towards me and pulls me out of my thoughts.

I can't even manage to come up with any words, other than mumbling "I'm sorry" as a tear falls down my cheek and I quickly wipe it off and turn away from him.

"Hey, hey" he begins softly, as he brings his hand to my face and turns it back towards him. "What is it?"

"It's nothing, really, it's silly" I try and convince him, while wiping away another tear.

"Come on Stella, I've got all night, remember? Now tell me what's going on"

"It's just..." I begin quietly then clear my throat before continuing. "Earlier today, when I was with Cassie, after you had left to talk to Jack. She was really upset and concerned about Reed, and she asked me how I dealt with it, and how I managed to keep myself together so well. So I told her that in situations like this that are beyond your control, you just have to be strong for those around you, to offer support when the people you care about need it most."

"Okay..." Mac responds in a confused tone as if he understands, but is wondering where I'm going with this.

"Mac, it was all just talk, but in the moment I actually believed myself. The truth is, the second you ran through that door, I fell apart. I've always prided myself on being a strong person, but when your fate was up in the air, and I saw Reed walk out of that house without you, I just... If things didn't turn out the way they did... Mac, if I had lost you..." I try to complete a sentence but can't, my voice just continually trails off and more tears make their way down my face.

Mac lets out a soft sigh then takes his hand and gently brushes a few of my tears away.

"Hey, you're not going to lose me, okay? I'm right here. I'll always be right here." He tells me with a warm smile as pulls my head against his chest and wraps his arms around me. He kisses the top of my head and gently strokes my hair and I let out a sigh of content as I feel the safety and security that he offers me when he holds me in his arms.

Just like Mac, always there to be my rock when I need one to lean against.

...

[Mac's POV]

Just when I thought I was emotionally spent, I see Stella so upset and vulnerable and it causes my heart to strain for probably the millionth time today. Although that's not a complaint, she knows my arms will always be here to hold her whenever she needs them to. She might think of me as 'her rock' but truth be told she's mine, and I wouldn't be half as strong as I am without her.

We've seen each other through just about everything and I can easily take solace in the fact that she will always be there for me, and vice versa.

As for Reed, I'm just glad he's back and can safely assume he's here with me to stay. And I'll have him for as long as... well, for as long as he will put up with me. I don't know how I got so lucky.

When Claire died my world came crashing down around me, and I lost the only family I had left; as I'm sure the same was with Reed when he lost his adoptive mother. And if you would have asked either of us a week ago, we would have never thought we'd be given a second chance at having a family. But, as fate would have it, that is exactly what happened, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

**THE END**

****Okay, what do you think? Please review :)**

**I've had a few requests for a sequel, so this will definitely be a story that I would like to branch off from. So, if you liked this story, stay tuned for more, add me to your author alert :) I will definitely do another story, and possibly a few one-shots in between just to keep your interest peaked while I come up with the sequel. Sound good?**

**Thanks for all the support my faithful reviewers have given me, and a special thanks to the following people for not only their kind words and encouragement, but great advice as well. You guys are awesome!**

**Thanks to: Andorian Ice Princess – AIP, doyleshuny, and Mrs. Darcy1234**

**And thanks to everyone else for reading!!!****


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